


The Sweetness of Tears

by LollipopHime



Series: The Sweetness of Tears [1]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Angst and Feels, Drama & Romance, Falling In Love, Feels, Friendship/Love, M/M, No Smut, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-02-16 00:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18680269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LollipopHime/pseuds/LollipopHime
Summary: Izumi Iori (22), owner of the small bakery in the town named "Sinra" and Nanase Riku (23)met the usual way, as a customer and a shopkeeper. Join them to see the story of the two unfolds as Iori experienced his first love.Light-medium romance. Ioriku. No Smut.Enjoy and feel free to comment~!





	1. Sweetness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Texts in Italics represents person’s inner thoughts  
> EDIT 9 Aug: added book cover

\------------------------------------------

The sound of the bicycle pedals creaked over and over again as a young boy rode from his shop to a certain house 500 metres away with some delicious bakery to deliver to his customer. He wondered why the customer did not just walk to the shop since it was so close by. He sighed as he left the old bicycle lying against the wall and walked to knock the wooden door.

"Excuse me, I've got your delivery" Izumi Iori shouted as he heard footsteps approaching the door. The person who opened the door seemed to be a young boy not much older than Iori. The first thing Iori noticed was how brightly the red haired boy smiled. It was so genuine, yet he felt strange from looking at it.

"Thank you for coming, here's your money!" Nanase Riku said gleefully while handing over an envelope of the exact amount of money. Iori took the money. He almost left quietly, but he could not stop his sharp tongue from working. "Sir, you know our shop is just nearby right? You could have saved the delivery fee by just walking there."

Even though Izumi Mitsuki, Iori's elder brother, was an expert at dealing with customers, Iori turned out to be the exact opposite. The dark haired boy was not as friendly and always kept the conversation to the minimum. Riku blinked twice in surprise. The truth was that he had been quite ill all day. It was hard for him to breathe even when he only stood up from the couch and walked to the bathroom. Iori's words actually really hurt Riku but he laughed it off. The red head was trying to come up with an excuse. However, Iori did not care to hear it. He got on his bike, said thank you just to sound more polite and pedalled away.

 _*wheeze*_ "I wished I could walk that far on a day like this..." Riku really was upset because he was viewed like he was lazy when he was not. His movement was limited by his respiratory disorder, which happened to get worse today.

Iori entered his empty home of a tiny bakery. He thought maybe he should not have said those words. It was clear the customer really was bothered by what he said. Iori sighed, went to his room and lied down on his bed.

This is a small town named "Sinra". Most of the walls are made of gray bricks and are not very tall. Not much happens in this town. Most of the time it stays quiet, even boring. Izumi's bakery, despite its small size, can be seen easily from many angles due to its bright light.  
Izumi Mitsuki was supposed to be in charged of managing the bakery. Unfortunately, he had to move overseas to pursue his dream of becoming a legendary idol like Zero. Iori supported his brother fully and he did not mind looking after the bakery as he did not know what to do anyway.

Nanase Riku used to live with his twin brother, Nanase Tenn, who owned a business in a large busy city. He decided to move out to Sinra which offered more fresh air and relaxed atmosphere to Riku. Tenn would visit whoever he had time off. Riku could occasionally be seen singing by the river near the town.

~~

Riku felt much better the next day even though he was still a little pale. He decided to take a walk around town. After a short while he spotted a shop with light shone bright. "Izumi's bakery" was written on the sign in such a sweet font. Riku thought the melon pan (sweet melon flavoured bread) he had yesterday was soft and perfectly sweet that he had to walk closer to the shop. His red eyes sparkled in the sunlight as he looked at the selection of delicious looking bakery through the window. "Uwaaah" To other people, Riku must have looked like a little kid staring at candies.

Iori stepped out of his mini kitchen and was surprised by the window-shopping Riku. Iori did not really know what to do. He could just stand at the counter, pretend to be working on something. Or he could open the door to apologise for what he said last night, but that was just so embarrassing. Judging by Riku's facial expression, he was not about to walk away anytime soon. Iori sighed. The dark haired boy approached the glass door and opened it, making the yellow bells clanged. The sound startled Riku a little, and so their eyes met.

"Why don't you come in, customer-san? You can see better inside you know?" Iori started.

"Ahh sure! I would love to smell those sweet-looking bakery!" Riku stepped in the shop. "Uwaaaahhh it smells so nice in here! Ooh! That cake looks lovely!" Riku hopped to the large glass display. It was a vanilla flavoured cake with pink icing on top, decorated with fresh strawberries and a cute rabbit shaped figure made of icing sugar. Riku loves sweet. The sweeter, the better. He could not take his eyes of that cake.

Iori thought the customer was so childish, yet he could not help smiling a little. Not a lot of people visits his tiny shop in such a small town. One thing was bothering Iori though. He noticed that his silly customer looked a bit pale. "I'm probably just overthinking things" Iori thought to himself. He was not sure why, but he went to the counter, took a matcha flavoured roll cake and cut a slice for Riku. "Here, it's on the house" Iori handed the plate to Riku who looked confused.

"Eh? Are you sure?" Riku grabbed the plate and when Iori nodded, he emitted such a happy aura. His smile could not be any wider. "Ahhh this looks so good, thank you so much! Ooooh it tastes sooo nice~!"

Iori let out a little laugh. He stopped when his little train of thought kicked in. "I...uh...sorry about yesterday" He said quietly, still making an eye contact with Riku.

"Eh...? Ah! That!" Riku's facial expression changed. He suddenly looked sad. "You actually...really hurt me" Riku looked down. He probably did not mean to say it out. His voice almost went unheard. Guess it was too late, Iori's eyes went wide. He felt so much guilt in his heart.

"But it's alright!" Riku looked up at Iori and gave his sincere smile again. "You don't seem like a bad person. Maybe you were in a bad mood? And you gave me cake!"

Iori did not know what to do anymore, or what he was supposed to be feeling. The whole place went quiet for a while before Riku broke that silence.

"I am Nanase Riku! What's your name shopkeeper-san?"

"Izumi Iori...wait Nanase?"

"Hmmm?" Riku tilted his head.

"The Nanase that owns a huge jewellery company?!?" Iori asked in surprise. After all "NanaseJewel" is one of the biggest company at designing and selling jewellery in this country.

"Ah, my twin brother runs that company. He really is an amazing person ehehehehe" Riku could not be more proud. He used to help Ten with paperwork. Now, his health is not as good as he was then.

Gee, the person in front of him was not just childish, he was also a brocon. Iori thought. He seemed to be enjoying his short time with this silly red haired boy though.

Riku had to start heading home. He should not be outside for a long time. He bought a few different kinds of sweet bread. Riku could not be happier, but Iori was hoping he could get to know Riku more. Riku opened the glass door and took one step out of the shop. "Wait!" Iori suddenly acted on his feelings which was unusual. He grabbed Riku's arm, gently. "W..why don't you come again soon? We make different kind of products every few days or so." Iori stuttered. He could hear his heart pounding. He was not sure why he did what he did.

Riku beamed. "Of course! I'll come visit soon ne Iori~!" With that Riku left the shop and disappeared in the distance. Iori stood there with his trembling body. His face went a little red from embarrassment, but he felt a little warmth of happiness in his chest.

Iori had been working hard in his cute bakery everyday, hoping someday Riku would turn up. However,...

2 weeks had passed. Riku never came to the shop.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first chapter! I hope you lovely people enjoyed this intro kinda thing~ Please please please comment I love reading them teehee~ I don't have much experience in writing romance (cuz uh I'm a lonely person T.T) but I do want to make this story good ^^


	2. Bitterness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fateful meeting at the bakery once again, but with someone else

Iori walked through a long and dark tunnel. It was cold and he was scared. He could not not see a thing as it was pitch black. Ran to the left, he hit a wall. Ran to the right, his body hit another wall. Even if he walked forward he felt like he made no progress at all, like he was walking on the same spot. The tunnel was never ending.

The boy twisted and turned in his soft bed. He was sweating buckets. Trapped in his nightmare, Iori struggled to wake himself up. It took him 3 minutes to be able to open his eyes and feel the sunlight shining through his window. He sat up, panting, he was not feeling sad or anything like that. The feeling deep inside in heart was actually pure loneliness.

Iori was incredibly lonely.

He had always been lonely, even when he was still with his big brother. When Iori was younger, he found it hard to talk to people his age because of how mature he was. He was a perfect student, but not a popular one.  
Iori grabbed his favourite rabbit plush and hugged it. He thought of the smile he saw on the boy with the red head's face. He thought of Riku.

He missed Riku. Even though their meeting was a brief one, Iori had never felt happier. The boy was not sure what was going through his mind. He knew only that he wanted to meet Riku again.

Iori shook his head and got ready to open his bakery. "Maybe he will come today" Iori thought without really believing in it. He walked downstairs, started kneading the dough, baking some bread and making some cake.

Iori usually opens his shop at 10am everyday except Monday. It was 9am at the time. A lot of products were already on display. He was decorating a chocolate cake when he saw a customer approaching the locked door and trying to open it.

Iori took off his gloves and went to unlock the door. "I am sorry, but we are not open yet". Iori got a good look at his customer's face. He could tell the white haired boy was not from around here. The customer was wearing very stylish clothes that can only be bought in the city. What caught Iori's attention was the expensive-looking necklace with Alto music symbol charm on the customer's neck. Iori thought it was very charming and beautiful.

"It is rude to stare you know?" The customer, Nanase Tenn, noticed Iori was staring at his necklace. He was actually a bit proud since this was one of the newest products his NanaseJewel had designed.

"Ah!" Iori did not realise he was staring. "I am so sorry, customer-san". Maybe his loneliness was toying with his mind he said "Actually, most of the products are on display already. Have a look around if you'd like."

Tenn stepped in the shop right away after hearing that. His expression was serious, almost scary. He was tired of having to smile and acting like an angel all the time while doing his jewellery business.

"If you'd like some cake, they are not ready yet, but you can order and pick up in 2 hours time" Iori said while walking to the counter. This customer was nothing like Riku. He seemed totally cold and unfriendly.

"I am actually here for a cake. Do you think you can make vanilla cake covered with strawberry icing?" Tenn did not look at Iori, he was busy putting some sweet bread including melon pan into his shopping bag. Melon pan, sweet bread and vanilla cake reminded Iori so much of that day. The day he met Riku.

_Is this really a coincidence?_ Iori thought to himself. This customer was putting a lot of bread in his shopping bag and they were all sweet flavoured. Iori tried to observe his customer's face, this time secretly. Soft pink hair with beautiful shade of pink eyes. About the same age as him. Iori was carefully making vanilla cake mix. Curiosity was killing him from the inside. He had to ask this customer.

"Um. Excuse me. Do you know Nanase-san by any chance?"

Tenn suddenly stopped deciding between fluffy milk bread and Anpan (bread with sweet red bean paste filling) upon hearing his family name. He sharply turned to face Iori. Iori's hands froze seeing Tenn's reaction, but remained silent. He knew he was getting some sort of answers, and he wanted them.

"I am Nanase, but surely you don't mean me." Although Tenn had visited Riku a few times in the past, he had never shopped at Izumi's bakery. The boy walked closer Iori, staring into his eyes. "How do you know Riku? Did he come here?" Tenn, the started bombarding Iori with questions instead. With Riku being Tenn's only family, Tenn is slightly overprotective of his twin brother.

Iori blinked a few times before getting himself together. "Ah, Nanase-san came to the shop about two weeks ago. His choice of bakery is very similar to yours, so I thought I might ask..." _The choices aren't just similar! They're exactly the same._ Iori thought

"That Baka" Tenn looked away and cursed under his breath. He wanted to bolt out of the shop and scold Riku for walking this far on his own with poor health. Iori happened to hear that and thought: _do they not like each other? wait...Nanase-san did mention he has a twin-brother, this must be the one. Nanase-san really seemed quite fond of this guy._

Tenn looked up at Iori again. "I'm buying these for Riku." Even though Tenn did not like Riku to associate with strangers, he had to remind himself that Riku no longer lives in a big city. Sinra is a small town and most friendly people mean no harm. Tenn decided to open up a little. "He is my younger twin brother. I am visiting him for a week. Guess I'll be seeing you often during this time."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Nanase-sa..."

"That will be confusing, just call me Tenn." Tenn cut Iori off.

"Alright, Tenn-san. I am Izumi Iori" Iori bowed and took the cake mix to the oven. The whole thing felt like deja vu to Iori, except with a different character in play.

"I am leaving the money here, Izumi Iori. Will be back for the cake later." Iori thanked Tenn as a shopkeeper. The moment the bell clanged and Tenn closed the shop door, Iori saw a ray of hope.

_Maybe I will see Riku today._

~~

"Tadaima!" Tenn shouted as he entered the small but warm and cozy house. He was expecting a reply, but there was none. "Riku?" Tenn shouted his brother's name.

_*cough cough*_

Tenn put his bakery shopping down on the small wooden table and rushed to the kitchen area. Riku's house was not big. It simply had one large room for kitchen and living area, a tiny bathroom just enough to fit a shower, a toilet, a sink and a bathtub, and Riku's bedroom. Tenn saw a figure sitting with his back leaning on the kitchen counter, hands clutching his chest.

"Riku!!" Tenn quickly went to Riku. "Do you need your inhaler?" He asked, trying his best to stay calm. It would make Riku panic if he panicked.

"Ha...ha..No, Tenn-nii." Riku smiled seeing his brother despite feeling the tightness in his chest. "I am...a bit out of breath...but will be fine soon"

"Okay" Tenn trusts Riku's words and his judgement of his own health. When they were kids, Riku used to always say "I'm fine!" and overestimated his own physical ability. Over time, Riku had learned to know his limits and take good care of himself, and Tenn had learned how to take care of his brother without over-worrying.

Riku's breathing problem limited him a little when he was younger, but it was never this bad. Since last year, his condition deteriorated. Now, some days he could hardly move, some days he could walk a little further. Unpredictable.

Riku seemed to be recovering. "I was about to make Tea, Tenn-nii" He slowly got up. Moving too fast could be dangerous. The red head looked at the table. "Tenn-nii, what did you get?"

Tenn took a kettle out and began to make the usual herb tea that Riku likes. "Ah, those? I bought your favourite Melon pan, Riku. You can have it after breakfast." Tenn took care in measuring the amount of each herbs to make the perfect mix.

"Melon pan?!!?? Tenn-nii Daisuki!!! <3" Riku hugged his brother from behind, making Tenn blush. "Gee, careful Riku, I am making tea here" Tenn said, secretly smiling. He had to restrain himself from hugging back.

"Did Tenn-nii get it from that bakery? The one...uhh what's his name....ah! Iori! The one Iori owns!"

"I'm a little angry you walked that far, but I'll let it slide this time" Tenn did not have the heart to scold Riku after getting a hug like that.  
Riku remembered that Iori invited him to come to his bakery again. Unfortunately he had never been well enough since then to go that far. Riku was delighted he made a new friend, but at this rate he might never get to know more about that shopkeeper.

After Tenn and Riku enjoyed their breakfast, Tenn told Riku he had to go out again. Tenn had not told the boy that he ordered a cake for him. Even though Riku was curious, he did not ask Tenn why. Riku told himself: _Sometimes Tenn-nii needs some personal space._

~~

Tenn stepped into the sweet-smelling bakery once again. As soon as Iori saw Tenn, he walked out with a cute pink box of cake.  
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here is the cake." Iori opened the box. In there, light pink icing covered the cake perfectly evenly. Iori threw in some of his best icing sugar bunny decorations, making a cute rabbit family on top of the cake. Tenn is normally hard to please, but that moment he was in awe. Iori was satisfied by Tenn's reaction. He closed the box and tied a lovely sparkling golden Ribbon on it.

Iori had put in his best effort, knowing the cake was for Riku.

~~

"No way...! Is that a cake?" Riku was sitting on the couch watching some Re:Vale concert DVD when Tenn approached him with a box.

"You did not get a cake on your last birthday. I hope you like this Riku" Tenn really could not take time off that time and could not celebrate birthday with Riku.

Riku opened the box and his eyes welled up with tears. "This...is so beautiful". Riku did not have to ask. He knew right away Iori made this cake. It was almost the same as the one he saw on display two weeks ago, only this one looked even better. He felt grateful and his heart was filled with so much happiness. He thanked his lovely brother non-stop, but he still had one more wish.

He wanted to see Iori.

That thought sent so much pain to his heart that Riku bursted out crying in his brother's arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end bit omg ('°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀) I get emotional myself.   
> Next chapter will be more Riku focused MAYBE teehee~   
> Please leave comments. Me love comments 💗


	3. Darkness

“Nggghhhh” _cough_ _wheeze_

6 o’clock on Monday morning, the redhead was forced to get up. His coughs kept him up almost the whole night. He realised he was not going to get anymore quality sleep. Riku walked sleepily to the artificial fireplace to heat his whole house up. The outside was not too cold, but Riku preferred his house to be quite warm. As warm as when he got a hug from his only family. His Tenn-nii.

Riku mixed a few drops of each kind of herbal oil into an aroma diffuser. Those oils were recommended by his doctor as they could help with his lungs.

“Ah what a nice smell” Riku breathed in as deeply as he could to appreciate the aroma, but his breath remained pretty short, and slightly painful. Riku smiled a little. Although in his heart, he actually felt hurt.

“I’m sure a day will come when we can live together in the city again, Riku” The redhead recalled the words his brother said when he left last night. Of course, he replied with a big cheerful smile. He could not bear to tell his brother angel the truth Riku kept to himself alone.

His condition would never improve.

Riku shook his head. _No, I don’t want to think about that first thing in the morning._ “Right” Riku channelled all his positive energy. “Today is gonna be great!”

Riku went to his kitchen counter, wanting to make some fluffy hot pancakes. He was faced with disappointment when he opened the cupboard to find there was no flour left. “Ah…I really wanted something sweet…” Riku would have to wait several hours for the grocery shop near him to open. “Well, that can’t be helped. I’ll just have some tea for now”

Riku hummed the tune of his favourite song “Silver Sky” by Re:Vale while preparing his tea using some of the finest tea leaves Tenn got him. His house was so quiet that he easily got lost in thoughts. _Ahhh I wish Tenn-nii was still here. That vanilla cake was really nice. Oh and the decor, it was so lovely! Mmm I wish I could have it again…_

Riku would have already floated on clouds in that dream of thoughts if the pain did not stab him so sharply in his chest. Riku crouched down, panting. _Huff huff_ Luckily it only took seconds for him to catch his breath and stood up again. That, however, was nothing to Riku. He got used to getting sudden shortness of breath like that. What he could not take, was when he thought about seeing Iori again.

Riku did not want to cry. He could not help it though. His house was way too quiet. Even though it was so warm and smelled lovely like a proper home, to him it was just an empty house. Riku went to the TV with his tea, trying to watch some shows to distract himself. It did not work out well.

“Ah mou!” Riku screamed out loud. “That does it, I’m going out!”

~~

“Why am I up so early on a day like this?” Izumi’s bakery is closed on Monday yet Iori found himself wide awake the usual time when he actually could sleep much longer.

_It can’t be helped._ Iori sighed and went to check what he needed to restock. He would need to head to a grocery store. There was only one nearby.

The one near that boy’s house.

Iori still thought of Riku every now and then even though Riku had never visited his bakery since the first time they met. If they met in school, maybe Iori would visit his house, but fate was cruel. They met as a shopkeeper and a customer. Visiting Riku in his house would be overstepping the boundary. Iori sighed.

“It’s still early, I guess I’ll take a walk along the river on my way to the store.”

~~

Not far behind Riku’s house was a long clear river with all kinds of wildlife. There were huge tress for birds to rest and bushes for foxes to roam around. Riku walked slowly along the river, appreciating the liveliness of the nature around him. Riku knew exactly where he wanted to go: his secret spot where he could feed the birds, see different kinds of fishes and sing.

“There it is!” Riku took a turn away from the walking path at some point and walked through a hidden path covered with overgrown wild grass. It led right to the river. The big trees covered the place quite well, making it a perfect peaceful hidden spot.

_Tenn-nii, forgive me for coming to a hidden place like this._ Riku thought about how worried his beloved brother would be if Tenn knew Riku came here alone. Riku had visited this spot a few times since he moved here. It was one of the most favourite places of his. Riku pulled out a bag of bird seeds and poured some onto his hands. Some small garden birds hesitantly flew to take a seed from Riku and flew away in a flash. Riku loved it when he could attract birds like this. He smiled and started to sing with his lovely crystal clear voice.

Iori walked mindlessly along the river to kill some time before getting to the grocery store. He never knew how to spend his free time other than coming up with more bakery recipes and designing new cute icing sugar decorations. He sighed from boredom. Unlike Riku, he never really appreciated the animal life around him nor even noticed them.

The dark haired boy was about to walk to some other places when he heard a voice coming from a distance. “Hmm? Someone is...singing?” Iori closed his eyes to determine where such a beautiful voice was coming from. He could not hear it very well from where he was standing, yet he could already tell he would love to hear it up close. Iori looked left and right while walking towards the direction the voice was coming from. He finally came to a stop when he could pinpoint the exact location.

“Such a marvellous voice” Iori found himself being drawn in by the voice. He carefully took a step at a time to make sure he was as quiet as possible stepping on the grass. Finally he saw the shadow of a guy. To Iori’s surprise, when he walked closer, he could see bright red hair shone in the sunlight. His eyes opened wide.

_That’s...Riku!_

Iori tripped over a branch and fell on his bum, causing Riku to stop singing and turned his head. “Owww” Iori groaned a little from the fall. When he finally looked up, the eyes of the two met.

“Ah you surprised me there! Wait, you are Iori from the bakery right?” Riku beamed. He could not believe it. He got to meet his newest friend just by coming to the river nearby. If it wasn’t for his poor health, Riku would have jumped up in excitement and run to the fallen Iori. So instead, he smiled his sweetest smile, carefully got up and walked towards Iori.

“N..Nanase-san?” Iori’s face was a little pink. First, he got to see a person he had been waiting for forever. Second, he was embarrassed as hell by the state he was in - bum on the floor, hands on the ground, clothes covered in dirt. And lastly, Riku’s voice was just amazing. Without giving Iori’s heart a chance to process things, Riku bent down before him and ask “Are you ok, Iori?” while giving his killer smile.

“U..Um..Yes..I’m okay” Iori awkwardly repositioned himself to sit cross-legged. “Nanase-san, was that your voice just now?” _Baka Iori, of course it was his voice!_ Iori thought.

“Eh? Oh, yes...was there something wrong with it?” Riku blinked a few times and tilted his head.

“It was...wonderful” Iori said so quietly the compliment almost went unheard. He was too shy to say it straightforwardly. The boy had to look away to avoid eye contact with Riku at that moment.

“Ahh thank you!” Riku was over the moon to hear a compliment. It had been so long that someone else other than Tenn heard his voice. He was always in and out of the hospital back when he lived in the city, so he could not sing as it would disturb other resting patients. “What are you doing here, Iori? Aren’t you at the shop today?” Right away, the redhead threw questions at Iori so that he would stay to chat with him. No way he was letting this opportunity go to waste.

“We are closed on Monday” Iori kept his answer short. In fact, he wanted to say so many things. He wanted to ask why Riku never stopped by again. He wanted to scream that he was terribly lonely and desperately needed a friend. Iori could not bring himself say any of those things nor start a normal conversation with a radiant guy before him. Luckily, Riku had something to say to him. “Iori! Thank you for the cake last week! It tasted sooooo goood. Oh! Oh! And the rabbits! They were really c....”

Riku started coughing, not violently, though relatively badly. _No, not now...please!_ Riku did not want to explain about his illness. He wanted to talk about things healthy people enjoy talking about. For once, he wanted to forget that he suffered from an incurable chronic illness. Fortunately, the coughs calmed down without having to reach for his medication. He was gasping a little, but he knew a trick on how to hide it.

“Nanase-san, are you alright?” Iori was quite concerned as those coughs sounded pretty bad. Riku only laughed it off and said he was too excited. While not fully convinced, Iori did not press Riku further. “Please do take care of yourself.”

The two sat quietly for a good while and of course, Riku was the one to break the silence. “Ne, Iori, suppose you had a friend who could hardly do anything, what would you do? Wanting to be Iori’s friend, Riku asked a scenario question without letting the guy know it was about him. This was one of Riku’s biggest insecurities.

Iori took a few seconds to process a hypothetical question thrown at him. “You are so random, Nanase-san” Iori spoke his mind without really thinking. “I would scold him and teach him how to do things I guess”

“So what if he really can’t do it? Like what if he always stops you from doing your thing?” Riku pressed further, looking straight at Iori’s face.

“Then it doesn’t matter. I would be annoyed, but a friend is a friend.” Actually, this was not Iori’s own answer. _A friend is a friend, huh?_ Iori thought of how Mitsuki would answer this question. After all, Iori never really had a real friend before. No way he would know how to answer the question genuinely. Though, Riku was more than satisfied with the answer. He stood up, ready to go back home. Or more like, he had to head home. Being outside for too long was never good for Riku even when the air was fresh and clean.

“Iori I have to go now” Riku said with his back turned to Iori. The boy was sad. Sad he could not stay to chat with Iori any longer. Riku started walking away while keeping his head down. Iori wanted to stop Riku. The dark haired boy’s lonely heart was not even a quarter filled with warmth.

All hope was not lost when suddenly a brilliant idea came to Riku’s mind. He looked up and gave Iori his best smile.

“Iori! Come visit me at my house some time, okay?” With that said, Riku walked away, leaving Iori to pinch himself as a reality check.

The darkness in Iori’s heart was now replaced with hope. Little did he know that Riku’s tears were flowing down as he walked away. It took every bit of mental strength for Riku not to bend down and cry out loudly.

_Iori, please visit me soon_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2000+ words okay that's just as long as my one-shot LOL. Now, next chapter is not yet in the works so it will take a while. (please blame my deadlines XD). I hope you are enjoying(well haha :P) it so far. Teehee~


	4. Loveliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori visited Riku at his house :D

It was Monday again. This time Iori woke up early on purpose. He went in the shower. The boy picked out the best clothes he had and properly fixed his hair. He turned left and right in front of a mirror, making sure he looked perfect.

Iori himself was not sure why he was doing all that. He was only going to visit a person he hardly knew anything about. The boy walked down the steps to the fridge and pulled out a box of pastel coloured macaroons. Iori normally never puts macaroons on sale unless it is a special occasion like Christmas since they require quite an effort and practice to make. Yet, he carefully crafted them as a gift for Riku.

_Am I...in love?_

Iori blushed at the thought. He found it hard to be honest with his feelings. This time, however, he felt like he could not deny it. He thought he might have fallen in love the first time Riku walked into his shop and rescued him from the unending pain of loneliness. The boy sighed. _I never thought this would ever happen to me. And so suddenly too._ He shook his head, finally locked the shop's door and walked out.

~~

"Ah! Iori, come on in!" Riku beamed as soon as he opened his house door to find a person he had been waiting for all week. "You look great today" The redhead noticed that Iori looked sharper than the other times he saw him.

To Iori, Riku's house looked warm and cozy, like a proper 'home'. The sweet oil blend aroma that filled the house somehow soothed Iori's mind. It made him feel so relaxed. Iori thought how the house would look even nicer with cute decorations.

Riku invited Iori to sit on a couch in the living area. "Your house is lovely, Nanase-san." Iori complimented and handed a gift in his hands to Riku. "This is...a little gift for you" His face turned pink. He thought Riku would think of him as weird since it was not a special day or anything. Iori was just visiting a friend.

"For me? Really?" Riku happily took the box. He was so excited he opened it right away. 8 pieces of 3 different coloured macaroons were lined up neatly. "Uwaaaah! Macaroons! I LOVE macaroons! Thank you so much, Iori" Riku gently set the box down on the table before giving Iori a hug.

"...!" Iori was not expecting a hug. He was not prepared how to react, but he felt happy. The only other person who ever gave him a loving hug like that was his brother, Mitsuki. Riku once again was giving him something he did not know he missed.

"A..ah! Sorry if that made you uncomfortable" Riku pulled away. Iori just felt like a good old friend to him and so Riku treated him the way he treated his Tenn-nii. Okay, perhaps a little differently.

"N-not at all, Nanase-san" Iori blushed harder. He tried to think of a conversation, but nothing came to his mind. Although, Riku did not give 'awkward silence' a chance to meddle. "What kind of tea do you like Iori? I have all sort of tea leaves!" Riku shot his smile. Riku loves tea, especially when he get to drink them with desserts or sweet flavoured bread. Tea makes his chest feel warm and gives him a sensation of ease when he breathes. Iori said he would drink anything, so it was time for Riku to whip up his special tea blend.

The red head went to the kitchen and prepared some black tea leaves. Then he put some cinnamon and very tiny pieces of salted caramel fudge in. It smelled like autumn while brewing. Iori secretly watched Riku as he made tea. _He looks...cute with a small smile like that too._

_but why does that smile look a little sad?_

Riku put a clear glass kettle of tea with two clear matching glass cups on the elegant white and gold tray. He carefully walked back to the living area, set the tray on the table and sat right beside Iori.

"Thanks for waiting~ Tea is ready!" Riku took a kettle and one of the cups. He was carefully pouring the special tea for Iori. He set the kettle back down, ready to hand the cup to Iori. Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on Riku's side. He suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest and his breathing became so painful he dropped the cup and spilled the tea all over Iori's trousers. Riku grabbed his chest while enduring the pain from taking breaths in and out.

"Nanase-san, what's wrong!?" Iori forgot about his wet, stained white trousers and grabbed Riku's arms. The pain was too much for Riku to force out even a single word. Iori had no idea what was wrong with Riku. The symptoms did not seem like regular asthma to him. Iori decided to put his head onto Riku's back to listen for wheezing sounds. His eyes widened as he realised Riku's breaths were terribly shallow. Riku was sweating and his face went pale from exhaustion.

"I'll get some help right away!" Iori got up and about to go make a phone call when he felt a tug on his shirt. Riku's shaky hand was pulling Iori's shirt, preventing him from walking away.

"It..will calm..down soon" Riku tried his best to speak when the pain became slightly more manageable. Good thing Iori was almost always calm and collected. He noticed Riku's breathing was not as rough. It was still bad but he could see Riku was telling the truth. Iori thought it was best to stay with the boy now. He sat back down, placed as moved his hand up and down Riku's back slowly and mindfully.

"Do you need some medications?" Iori asked to make sure as he did not see any around him. Riku touched his pants pocket to indicate he had something in there. At times Riku forgot about his inhaler during a sudden attack when he was in a distress. "Excuse me then" Iori reached his hand into Riku's pocket and pulled out an inhaler. He opened and shook it for Riku and gave it to him. The older boy seemed weaker from the attack so Iori helped timing and pressing the inhaler.

It took minutes for Riku's attack to finally went away. Riku let out a breath of relief. "Phew I'm saved...AHHHH!" Riku shouted in surprise when he realised he turned Iori's trousers into a tea stain mess. "I'm so sorry, Iori!"

"Baka!" Iori shouted. "You're supposed to worry about your condition first!" _This is irritating, but he is actually cute like this. Wait, not now!_ "Don't get so worked up like that when you've just recovered" Iori took a deep breath before placing his hand on Riku's shoulder. "Nanase-san, are you ill?" Well, Iori was not really expecting 'yes' or 'no' as an answer. He was expecting an explanation.

"Yea, but it's nothing serious really!" Riku smiled weakly.

Iori sighed. "It's clear as day that you are lying." Iori stared into Riku's bright red eyes. "Tell me the truth" The answer might not be what Iori wanted to hear but if he really cared about his friend, he had to face the reality and helped his friend through the hardest times.

Riku went quiet for a while. Finally, it was shown: Riku's sad face. He sighed before starting to explain. "I've had trouble with my breathing since I was born. The doctors did not know exactly what it is because my attacks are never the same" Riku slowly lied down on the couch. Iori got up to make space and put Riku's legs up there. He then sat down on the floor, near Riku's head.

"Sometimes I wheeze, sometimes I just get only a bad pain in my chest. Or sometimes I lose control of my breathing rhythm..." Iori started feeling sad hearing that. _I don't like where this is going at all..._

"It got much worse since last year, and the doctors said they can't help much anymore. They let me carry around an inhaler, but only occasionally it helps." Riku turned to face Iori. Tears welled up in his eyes. Riku spoke the last bit about his condition to Iori.

".............!!!!"

_I see. Nanase-san, so that's why you asked those hypothetical questions when we met at the river. And now I know your condition prevents you from going to the bakery._

Iori reached his hand to grab Riku's left shoulder. "I am terribly sorry I judged you so badly the first time we met. That must have hurt you so much." Riku gave Iori a gentle smile. Already, he had forgotten the bad feels from that day now that Iori was here with him.

"And Nanase-san, I will always come to you whenever you need me. I will give you my contact number. I'll visit you more often." Iori gave Riku a firm squeeze to let him know he was by his side. Once again Riku broke down into tears. "It's okay now, Nanase-san"

_A friend is a friend._ Iori thought of the answer he said that day.

_That isn't just Nii-san's answer anymore._

_It's my own answer too._

After Riku managed to calm down, he lightly sang his favourite Re:vale's song - Silver Sky. Iori also knew the song so he joined in.

_Iori, thank you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I say Macaroons I mean the one that is pronounced "Macarons" not the coconut one. (ෆ'꒳'ෆ)  
> I make Riku cry in almost all chapters omg OwO


	5. Sorrowfulness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret about Riku that Tenn was never told

- **Three months after Iori visited Riku's house** -

Iori has been visiting Riku at his house every Monday. Every time he had some bakery gifts with him and that would make Riku really happy. Last Monday Riku was even more excited than usual since he had happy news to tell the younger boy.

"Iori, guess what! Tenn-nii is coming to visit next week. You should come over~"

Iori would never forget how Riku smiled so brightly that it was almost blinding that day. _He really loves his brother, huh?_ Although, there were a few things Iori could not help thinking about. _Why does Tenn-san not visit Riku more often? Especially when Riku is like this. They're family. I get it his Jewellery business is huge and still on the rise, but family should come first right?_

Iori sighed. _Who am I to talk about this? Even Nii-san and I don't contact each other that much._ Iori sat still on his bed for a while before taking his phone to search for Mitsuki's number. He pressed call. He did not have to wait long at all for the other end to pick up.

"Moshimoshi, Iori?"

Mitsuki expressed how happy he was that Iori called him. He went on and on about how he finally got into an idol industry after failing one audition after another. He formed a unit with a strange foreigner named "Rokuya Nagi" and an old middle school friend Mitsuki lost contact with "Nikaido Yamato". Iori was truly happy hearing about his Nii-san's success. Even better, Mitsuki said that his group would fly back to Japan very soon to debut.

"So, Iori, how are you? I'm sorry I left you on your own like that." Mitsuki sounded pretty sad to Iori.

"It's fine, Nii-san" Iori smiled a little thinking about Riku even though the feeling he had was bittersweet.

"You know, Iori, I've been thinking...." Mitsuki went into his serious mode. "You don't have to look after the bakery if you want to do something else. It's just...I want you to live your life the way you want, so.."

Iori decided to tell his Nii-san that he met Riku. It was his turn to talk on and on about his life with Riku. He also mentioned about Riku's illness and of course, once he said it, he could not leave the most important and awful part behind.

Mitsuki went silent. He did not take the information in as well as Iori did when Riku told him full details about his condition. "Iori" The orange haired boy spoke sounding even more serious than before. "You know what you are getting yourself into...right?" Mitsuki simply had to ask. He is after all Iori's big brother. Iori's family.

The last thing Mitsuki wanted was for his younger brother to experience unbearable amount of pain, sadness and eventually,

grief.

The new idol could hear it. The sobbing coming from the other end. "It's..* _sniff*_..too late, Nii-san" Iori used his arm to wipe his tears.

"I'm already in love with him"

Soon, Mitsuki cried too. _Why, oh, why, Iori. For someone to find his first love, it should have been a happy moment. Yet, I feel so bitter. Iori knows what he will have to go through. Why must my little brother's first love turn out to be this way...?_ Mitsuki tried his best to calm down and word his thoughts.

"Then you have to make him happy, Iori. And..and.." The big brother took a deep breath in.

"Make sure you enjoy those precious moments too, understood?"

~~

Tenn stepped into Riku's cozy house. He took a deep breath in. _Ah I missed this lovely smell._ "Riku! I'm here!" He shouted and soon he heard footsteps coming towards him. Riku came out and gave Tenn his sweet hug.

"Tenn-nii I miss you soooo much!" Riku was tired but he beamed. He was glad to see his brother again. More importantly, he was relieved. "Ah, right Tenn-nii, you've met Iori right?" Riku turned his head back and Iori appeared from behind.

"Hello, Tenn-san" He bowed with respect. Tenn's eyes widened in shock. _The bakery boy, in my beloved brother's house!?!_

"What ARE you doing here?" Tenn glared at Iori. He was confused. Violently confused. His protective brother mode activated. Iori was taken aback by Tenn's words. _Maybe I shouldn't interrupt family time._

Tenn's action upset Riku. "Tenn-nii, don't be rude. I invited him!" Riku took hold of Iori's arm, making Iori blush. Tenn's confusion developed into anger. His murderous intent rose dramatically. _R-r-r-riku hold up! Your brother, he's going to kill us!_

"What? It's been like what, three months?" As a businessman who lived in a large city, Tenn was not so trusting of people. Especially when the Nanase was so rich, Tenn thought up all sort of scenarios. _This boy could be in for the money, or he wants to use my Riku then dump him._ "Riku, I've always told you not to let a STRANGER into your house!" Tenn shouted, ignoring Iori completely.

Even though Riku knew how much his brother loves him, Tenn was always crazy overprotective. Sometimes it was frustrating when not only his life was limited by his illness, but by his brother too. "Tenn-nii, Iori is not a stranger! We are dating!" Riku shouted. Tenn felt like his body was split into two. Iori's face went extremely. Red.

"You can't be serious, Riku!" Tenn grabbed his brother's shoulders. If Riku was NanaseJewel's hot model and friend, Yaotome Gaku, Tenn would have shaken him to death. Iori saw that Riku was getting really upset he decided to step in.

"Tenn-san, please calm down, it is true I asked Riku out." Iori could have just walked away easily, but when he asked Riku out, he vowed that he would always protect Riku and that they would go through anything together. "Please, give me a chance, Tenn-san. I will make sure your brother is always happy." Iori bowed and stayed in that position to show utmost respect. Seeing that, Tenn's softer side came out. He released his grip from Riku's shoulders.

"Alright, but know this: if you ever hurt my dear brother, you are done for" As soon as Tenn finished his sentence, Riku had the biggest smile on this face and he hugged his Tenn-nii.

"Thank you, Tenn-san" Iori spoke. _That was really scary!_

The three spent a sweet time together, having Riku's special tea and Iori's lovely snacks. At one point however, Tenn started saying something that blew Iori's mind.

Tenn was showing pictures of beautiful lakes and mountains to Riku. "Uwaaaah! This place looks totally lovely. Ah, I wish I could go there..." Riku's eyes was so sparkly like they were made of glitter. Already, Iori felt a wave of sadness hitting his back.

"I will take you there as soon as you get a bit better, Riku" Tenn looked at Riku and smiled sweetly while holding Riku's waist. Riku also smiled too.

The wave of sadness consumed Iori's mind. _H-he..._ The cool Iori could hardly keep his usual calmness. _How could Tenn-san say that knowing Riku is...wait..._

_Tenn-san doesn't know...?_

While Tenn was describing about Gaku's funny moments during the magazine photoshoot at that lake, Riku shot a glance at Iori. Iori caught a cloud of sadness Riku had in his eyes before the redhead went back to acting cute with his Tenn-nii. The younger boy got the message right away.

_Riku, I can't believe you didn't tell him._

Iori excused himself to the bathroom so he would not ruin the scene.

_that you don't have much time left._

In the late afternoon, Riku fell asleep on the couch. It was not unusual since Riku's condition tends to keep him up at night. Iori put a light Usamimi blanket over Riku's body to keep him warm. It was then Iori heard the sound of the jingling key.

"Izumi, want to take a walk?" Tenn asked so that no one would disturb Riku. Iori nodded and together the two exited the house.

~~

The two walked silently for about five minutes before Tenn decided to speak his mind.

"When Riku first said he wanted to move out of the city, I objected and Riku showed me that upset face like this morning" Tenn began to tell a story while the two were walking around the quiet town with a slow pace. "Then my friend, Yaotome Gaku, stepped in, saying to let my brother go. I was furious."

"I screamed at him like 'how could he say something like that when he knows nothing about Riku'. Then he got angry and shouted back. It turned out Riku and him has been spending quite a lot of time together when Gaku has his free time." Tenn looked down. "It just hurts me. I thought I know Riku well when I actually don't. We are twins. We are family. Yet I don't get to spend much time with him. I want our business to prosper, so he wouldn't have to worry about anything else."

"I just..I feel like I can't make him happy. People like Gaku, and you, just seem to be able to tell what he wants. I am an idiot who always end up hurting the one I want to protect the most..." Tenn looked up to see birds flying away, disappearing into the bright blue sky.

The pieces were coming together in Iori's mind. "You are wrong about that." Tenn turned to look at Iori in confusion. "Riku, ne, when we talk, a lot of the time you name comes up in our conversation and Riku would smile widely"

Iori went to the edge of the big bridge. This bridge is built over the town's river and it leads outside to other places. There was a nice breeze. To Iori, it was a refreshing spot. "You certainly make him happy, but I think he doesn't want to be the only one protected." Iori turned to look at Tenn's pink eyes. "I think he wants to protect you, too. He knows that you are doing so much for him, so he turns to people like Yaotome-san when he needs some support."

"Tenn-san" Iori sighed and spoke with a stern face. "If you treat him like a friend, instead of a person who needs protection, then maybe, both you and Riku won't feel like there's a gap between your feelings and his.

_That's right. Riku taught to be more honest with my feelings. He taught me to be brave and follow my heart. That silly person is strong, he does not need protection and he wants his brother to know that. Had Riku told him about the severity of his condition, Tenn-san would never change. He was hoping Tenn-san would, one day, see him the way he sees Yaotome-san or me._

_I will respect Riku's decision of not telling you this. So I hope this is enough of a clue for you, Tenn-san._ "I think you should come to visit Riku more often" With that, Iori started walking away from the edge of the bridge. "Well then, we should head back"

Tenn stood still for a minute. _Brat, the boy can live on his own. And when are you gonna stop treating him the way you treat your customers!? He doesn't need your goddamn shield, he just needs your love!_ Tenn recalled Gaku's words. It was so shockingly similar to what Iori just said. That day, Tenn felt like Gaku set his heart on fire. All he did was snapped back at Gaku saying he was only a business partner and that he had no right to meddle in a family matter.

_Have I been wrong all this time?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you need a confirmation of what you've read: yea Riku is....*sniff* *sniff* *sob* WAHHHHHHHHHHH. Oh Iori ;-;


	6. Hopelessness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry I forgot to mention that texts in Italics represents that person’s thoughts! That must've been confusing. I hope you can enjoy the story better now ><

- **Two weeks after Tenn’s visit** -

Iori was doing dishes when he heard the the bells on his bakery door clang. “Welcome! If you need some cake I’ll be with you in a minute” He shouted as he hurried to finish what he was doing.

“Iori~"

The dark haired boy almost dropped his plate when he heard a voice he knew too well. _That can’t be...!_ Iori decided to stop what he was doing immediately and went to confirm if it was actually Riku.

“Nanase-san!?! Eh, no, I mean Riku!?!” Iori wiped his hands and walked to his boyfriend right away. “What are you doing all the way here!?” Riku was panting a little from the walk. Iori grabbed a chair for Riku to sit near his cake display case.

“I * _huff*_ I just wanted to see this place again” Riku gave Iori a smile, but he could not hide the sadness behind it. Iori’s heart sank.

“Riku....” Iori put his arm over Riku’s shoulder. “Next time just call me okay? I can drive you here.”

“ahhh, I forgot that you * _cough cough*_ can drive Iori” Riku replied sounding even sadder. Iori noticed that. He went to grab another chair and sat down right beside Riku, holding his arm.

“Riku, is something wrong?”

As soon as Iori asked, Riku grabbed Iori’s shirt and buried his head into Iori’s warm chest. He wanted to cry loudly but that would definitely trigger his attack so he tried his best to cry but kept it light and controlled. Iori patted Riku’s head gently, not asking anything further. He was giving Riku his time. At the same time, he was checking to see if Riku was breathing alright.

“It’s getting harder everyday, Iori. It’s getting harder to breathe...I am so * _gasp*_ so tired” Riku spoke slowly.

Iori’s stream of tears rolled down. He kept quiet. With Riku like that he could not possibly scream in pain as if he was on the isolated mountaintop. He wanted to say ‘everything will be alright’ or ‘you can get through this’ like in the movies.

_Everything is just not alright._

“Riku” Iori finally calmed down enough to speak. He wiped his tears with his long sleeved shirt. “Is there somewhere you want to go? Something you want to do?”

_Then you have to make him happy, Iori._ Iori recalled his Nii-san’s words. _Right, nii-san, this is what I’m going to do._

Riku took a while longer before he readjusted himself to sit up properly. “There are so many things I want to do...”

“Say them, Riku. We’ll see what we can do.” Iori was determined. Nothing else mattered anymore. Right now, all his time belonged to Riku.

“I want to go to the city, see Tenn-nii, see Yaotome-san. Ah, I want to see Re:vale live concert. That’s not possible though...it’s too crowded.” Riku took a little pause. “Oooh I want to go to themed cafes that serve cute desserts too”

“Hmm, my humble bakery is not good enough for someone from the Nanase, I see” Iori could not help teasing Riku, making the older boy pout. “I’ll drive you home and help you pack later tonight, Riku. We are leaving for the city tomorrow.” 

Riku’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Then it appeared, his genuine happy smile.

“Ne, Iori, thank you. I feel so much better” Riku did not mean physically. At least he had something to look forward to. He could hardly wait to spend his precious time with Iori.

“Now then Riku, why don’t you go have a little rest while I look after my humble bakery?” Then Iori came to a realisation that his bed was upstairs. “Stand up, Riku”

“E..eh?” Riku was confused why Iori sounded so demanding but he stood up anyway. “WWWWAAAAHHHH” Riku shouted in surprise when Iori closed in on him and all of a sudden carried him in his arm, bridal style and took him upstairs. All Iori could think about was how cute Riku’s reaction was. Riku blushed. _Iori can be so cool..._

Iori set Riku down on his bed. He was a bit embarrassed his bed was full of cute Usamimi friends plushies. Riku teased the younger boy, making his face go red. After some time, exhaustion took over Riku and he fell asleep.

~~

An hour before the shop’s closing time. Iori was starting to put empty trays away when the shop door was opened, letting in a cool breeze and two people.

“Welc-“ Iori’s welcome was cut off by one of the boys rushing to the cake counter and shouted “DO YOU HAVE OUSAMA PUDDING?!?” Iori froze. _W_ _hat the?!?_

“Tamaki-kun!” The other boy with a light purple hair walked in and bowed. “Sorry about that. We’ll be fine with some cake if you still have any”

When the purple haired boy lifted his head, Iori’s eyes widened. A polite purple haired boy and a childish light blue haired boy. _No doubt about it...they’re..._

“MEZZO?!?” Iori shouted. MEZZO is a group of duo idols, Yotsuba Tamaki and Osaka Sougo, who are just as famous as Re:vale. Riku loves Re:vale but he is also a fan of MEZZO. As for Iori, MEZZO is his most favorite idol group.

“Ah, Sou-chan he knows us” Tamaki smiled wide, forgetting about Ousama pudding for a minute.

Sinra is quite an isolated village. Most people are not following crazy trends or things like that. In Iori’s case, his brother’s dream was to become an idol so he got into following them too. As for Riku, he was a city boy. Self-explanatory.

The duo went to another village for a photoshoot. They decided to stop by Sinra to get a breather. They were certainly not expecting someone to recognise them.

Mezzo went to sit on the only table in the shop and Iori went to serve the cake they ordered. _I really want to wake Riku up!_

“Baker-san, don’t you get bored in this town?” Okay Iori was not expecting that: top idols started a conversation with him! Sougo glared at Tamaki as if to say ‘Don’t. Be. Rude.’

“It can be too quiet sometimes, but uh, I have someone here so...” Iori blushed. _W-what am I saying!?!_

“That sounds lovely” Sougo smiled. Iori smiled a little too.

Thoughts occupied Iori’s mind _WHAT SHOULD I DO?!? Ask for their signature!? Ask for a picture? ASDFGHJKL!_ Iori was a very shy fanboy. Soon, someone showed the way of light to him.

“* _cough cough*_ Iori” The dark haired boy heard a voice from upstairs. Iori quickly excused himself from the guests since he heard Riku’s coughs. He ran upstairs and opened his bedroom door. “Riku, are you okay?”

“* _huff*_   Yeah * _cough*_ I just..woke up.” Riku was breathing slightly roughly but he indicated that he was okay.

“I’ll get you some warm tea.” Iori completely forgot MEZZO was there. Luckily, Riku spoke before Iori rushed down the steps “Wait! I’ll go down too”

Iori turned around and approached Riku. “Ahh, you don’t need to carry me! I can manage~" Riku hugged Iori and down he went. Iori walked down slowly until he heard a shout.

“M-M-M-M-M-MEZZO?!?”

_Crap, I forgot!_ Iori ran down and went to stand beside Riku. Iori bowed. “Sorry to interrupt your time, MEZZO-san” Riku bowed too after he realised they were there as customers.

“Ah, please, don’t worry about it! In fact, we are glad someone knows us here” Sougo waved one of his hands up and down in a panic. He was a nice soul who did not want to trouble anyone.

“Ne, why don’t you two join us?” Tamaki asked casually while savoring the sweet flavor of the cake. Sougo nodded, agreeing with the idea. MEZZO were never the type to think highly of themselves.

“Is it really okay?!?” Riku coughed a few times from excitement. Iori gently patted Riku’s back and said that Riku should sit down. MEZZO welcomed Riku to their table. “I’ll prepare some tea first” Iori said before disappearing into the kitchen.

“UWAAAAHHH this is like a dream~! I never thought I would get to see MEZZO in person” Riku smiled very brightly. “I love your music, but I think Iori is the biggest fanboy here!” Riku giggled.

“We are glad to hear that!” Sougo responded with a gentle grin. Then, his expression changed. “Sorry, I’ve never asked for your name...”

That moment Iori came out of the kitchen with a big kettle of tea. He started pouring them into cups for MEZZO, Riku and lastly himself. MEZZO looked a bit surprised so Iori explained “Ah, it’s on the house” Sougo once again, being a polite person, thanked Iori greatly.

Once Iori sat down, Riku just recalled they were in a middle of conversation. “Ah, sorry, Nanase Riku desu”

“Nanase....? Why do I feel like I heard that somewhere?” Tamaki wondered. A fork was still in his mouth.

“AH!” Sougo gasped. NanaseJewel is like an equivalent to his father’s company called ‘FSC’ except they were doing different kinds of businesses. Of course Sougo would know that. Plus MEZZO were once contacted by Tenn to be a presenter for the MEZZO jewel collection. “Are you perhaps related to Nanase Tenn-san, Nanase-san?”

“Yeah that’s my twin brother. He’s the only one running the business though” Riku eyes went a little sad when he thought about how he used to be able to help his brother. Iori squeezed Riku’s hand as a support under the table.

“Fwoa that’s amazing” Tamaki spoke and turned his head to look at Iori. “And what about you?”

“Izumi Iori desu. As you can see, I am just a normal shopkeeper” Riku suddenly cuddled Iori. “Awwww Iori~ you’re the best shopkeeper” Iori’s mind exploded _ASDFGHJKL You’re being too cute, Riku!_

Tamaki and Sougo looked at each other. Iori was surprised by how they reacted. Before he could asked anything, Tamaki started.

“Is your brother an idol?”

Iori almost dropped his teacup. Riku quickly looked at Iori. _Brother?!? Iori has a Brother?!?_

“Y-yes, well, I heard he just got into an industry...” Iori had not finished his sentence and Tamaki jumped up from his chair. “YEAH, I knew it! You are Mikki’s brother!” Riku looked even more confused. He was hoping he could get explanations from Iori, but Iori seemed just as confused. Sougo caught on fast though.

“Our agency’s president introduced us to a new idol group called ‘Pythagoras Trio’ under our agency recently. Mitsuki-san is in that group.” As Sougo explained he could see both Iori and Riku had no idea about this.

“Iorin, you should go to their first concert then” Iori took a moment to realise he was given a nickname. “They’re doing an outdoor live concert in the city”

Of course Iori wanted to go. It has been too long since he last saw his brother and he could get a chance to see his brother as a budding idol. _But, Riku can’t...and I can’t just leave him and go alone._ Seriousness painted over Iori’s face. He felt so torn until he felt warmth on his shoulder.

“Let’s go, Iori”

Riku did not really know what was going on. The only thing he knew was Iori wanted to see his brother. Riku gave a gentle smile when Iori looked into his eyes.

“But, Riku...your condition...” Iori knew how hard it was already for Riku to breathe normally. In a crowded places like a concert venue, he would surely suffocate. It was just too dangerous. MEZZO noticed something was not right. They were not sure if it was appropriate to ask so they just made a mental note. Sougo and Tamaki made eye contact and nodded. _We’re speaking to PythaTrio when we get back._

“We can get a back row seat or something” _I don’t want Iori to do everything for me. I want to do something for him too._ Riku suggested. Outdoor concert should not be too bad.

The four of them had a sweet time chatting for a while before Mezzo had to leave. Thanks to Riku’s friendly nature, the couple got MEZZO’s autographs. They even took pictures together.

Already, Iori was the happiest fanboy on earth.

~~

“MEZZO, Welcome back” Yamato of PythaTrio waved to them as they entered the agency’s meeting room at night. The two groups were planning to have a Soba takeaway night together to get to know each other better. The president, Takanashi Otoharu, and the managers, Takanashi Tsumugi and Ogami Banri were there too.

While they were waiting for Soba to be delivered, MEZZO spoke about today’s fateful meeting. “We stopped by at Sinra after work today”

Mitsuki who was about to drink beer stopped raising his can the instant he heard “Sinra”. Yes, that was the reaction MEZZO was hoping for.

“We met your brother, Mikki” Tamaki could hardly wait for the Soba to come.

“You met Iori?!?” Mitsuki set his can of beer down and moved to sit nearer to MEZZO. “How is he?” Sougo laughed a little.

“His cake was SUPER delicious!” Tamaki dreamed about the triple chocolate cake he had and almost drooled. Mitsuki laughed. Sougo sighed and answered instead. “He seems like a good person, especially with Nanase-kun. They were a lovely couple.”

Mitsuki stopped laughing immediately. His smile disappeared too and that did more than just surprised everyone. _Nanase? Is that the boy named Riku Iori talked about the other day?_

_The boy that will soon leave this world._

Yamato and Nagi were asking a typical question about Nanase’s jewellery business. It did not take long for the two to notice their most energetic member went completely silent.

“Mitsuki, what’s wrong?” Nagi asked in his weird accent. Sougo suddenly had a really bad feeling.

“Nanase-kun you mentioned...is his first name Riku?” Mitsuki asked in his unusually quiet voice. His body started trembling. Yamato and Nagi went to sit beside him. They were concerned.

“Yes. His name is Nanase Riku” Sougo confirmed. _okay, this is REALLY bad..._

Mitsuki cried loudly. At the same time he attempted to explain why. He talked about his family situation. He explained that Iori found his first love with Riku. Mitsuki said no matter how hard he tried he could not be happy for his little brother because this guy named Riku was terminally ill.

~~

-After Soba party-

“President-San may we speak with you?" 

"It’s about PythaTrio’s concert”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 5:25AM I can't sleep so you can have another chapter. Yes this is a cute little sad story wait what am I saying? Anyway enjoy and please comment~ >////<


	7. Hopefulness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to the city for Iori and Riku <3

It was amazing how Iori prepared everything in one night. He helped Riku pack, and he packed his own things. Of course, Riku insisted that he purchase PythaTrio concert tickets as well. Not even Iori could win over Riku’s stubbornness. The next morning, the couple set off to the city Riku once lived in.

Riku’s breathing was quite unstable that day. Both Iori and Riku knew by now it was ‘one of those days’ when Riku was just more ill than usual. Unfortunately, even the modern medicine could not help ease Riku’s pain anymore than this.

His condition was only getting worse, and too quickly for anyone’s liking.

Riku tried his best to get comfortable in the car, but Iori could see the older boy was struggling.

“Iori, can you put some music on?” Riku asked so that music would help take Iori’s mind off him a little. _I know Iori always acts strong for me._

Iori put MEZZO on. _Riku, thanks for worrying about me._ After a while he decided to start a conversation. “Riku, what should we do first when we get to the city?” There were still a few days left before PythaTrio’s concert.

“Mmm I want to see Yaotome-san but I don’t want to see Tenn-nii just yet. Tenn-nii would probably never let me do anything if he saw me like this” Riku spoke, feeling a little heavyhearted and sleepy.

“Riku” Iori wished he could look directly at Riku but he had to concentrate on driving. “Don’t you think you should talk to Tenn-san...about how you feel?”

“....what do you think Mitsuki-san would do if he found out you were dying?” Perhaps Riku worded it a little too bluntly.

“Riku, you are terrible.” Iori let his sharp tongue work. “He would probably want to spend time with me 24/7” _and that’s what I want to do with you, baka._

“Tenn-nii thinks...he’s protecting me when he’s the one who needs to be protected.” Riku took a big breath in. “He’s an angel who would do anything for me....”

Riku curled into a ball in an angled car seat. “I know I need to tell him about my illness but I kind of wish he would ask me first. He’s so focused on making me feel better that he has forgotten about my feelings. Not only that, he prevents me from reaching out to him too”

Iori decided in an instant to park the car at the rest stop just ahead. He took off his seatbelt and leaned his body to the older boy. He cradled Riku’s shoulder. Gently and carefully, Iori pulled Riku into a kiss. Iori knew he could not do that for long so he released Riku for him to catch his breath.

“I-Iori..* _huff puff*_ what did...?” For once Iori was not the one blushing, it was Riku. Iori grabbed one of Riku’s arm and squeezed it tight.

“Riku, listen, I care about your feelings more than anything. And I know how strong you are. I know when you need a shoulder to cry on. You also know when I need you by my side. I cannot ever be your brother’s replacement. That would not be right, but I want you to know that anywhere you go, whatever you do, I will always support you”

Riku’s tears started flowing down. He put his cheek on Iori’s arm. “Thank you, Iori....thank you”

The older boy decided. “Iori, let’s go see Tenn-nii”

~~

Iori parked his car at one of the most humongous and elegant buildings in the city. The dark haired boy was in awe. He knew NanaseJewel business was massive, but he did not expect it to be this huge.

Riku had the owner access key so he could enter the building with ease. The chandeliers inside showed true exquisiteness. Red carpet and gold decorations made the whole place looked absolutely grand as if the two were walking inside the palace. It did not take too long for the couple to arrive at Tenn’s office.

Riku knocked before pushing the door open. There, he saw a young boy sitting at his desk doing paperwork who then quickly looked up at the sound of the door movement. A tall man with long silver hair was standing beside him.

“Tenn-nii! Yaotome-San!” Riku shouted and beamed. He was so thrilled to see two of the people he wanted to see together. Tenn instantly set down his pen and rushed towards the couple. Gaku also followed the business owner. He smiled as he saw the familiar redhead.

“Riku! How did you get here?!?” Tenn glanced around the room to find Iori standing beside Riku. “Izumi, you drove him here?” Tenn’s face was filled with worry. Gaku was secretly observing Iori. _Oh, who is this?_

Iori bowed a little to show respect. “Yes, Tenn-san, Riku wanted to come to the city so-“

_First name basis..._ Gaku thought. _Interesting._ Gaku’s grin disappeared the instant Tenn walked forward and slapped Iori in the face with full force. Riku’s face was painted with horror.

“Brat! What the f%#^ do you think you are doing?!?” The model pulled Tenn back by the collar. He did not care if he got fired on the spot. He had to stop this brat before he hurts Iori even more, and destroys Riku’s feelings.

“How DARE you did this to my little brother???!!!! What if he had an attack along the way? How will you take the responsibility for that huh?!?” Tenn raged on. He was already stressed about the problem with his business work in the morning and now this. Gaku noticed that Riku was about to cry and that he could be on the verge of an attack. Gaku simply had to act. He used his strength to shove Tenn back making the boy lose his balance and grabbed both Iori’s and Riku’s arm. “We are leaving, NOW”

Gaku and the couple got to Iori’s car. Riku sat down on the front passenger seat. His hands were on his chest. _It...hurts._ He was trying to calm down but he felt like he was passing out. Iori grabbed Riku’s bag and pulled out an inhaler for his lover. “Riku, I’m going to press it. 3. 2. 1. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.” Soon, Riku felt much better.

Gaku disappeared only to reappear again with a cup of warm water. “Here, Nanase”

“Thank you, Iori, Yaotome-san” Iori wanted to kiss Riku on the cheek when he saw Riku gave a warm smile, but being himself, he was too embarrassed to do that in front of a stranger, or rather, Riku’s friend. So instead, Iori got a kiss on the cheek from Riku and He. Went. Red. _Fwah?!? D-did he read my mind or something?_

Gaku smirked when we witnessed that. Firstly though, he had to take care of Riku and make sure Tenn does not come running out to hunt Iori. “You” Gaku grabbed Iori’s shoulder. “Drive to my place” Gaku was never good at making requests being a top model. Iori blinked twice when Gaku already entered the car and sat on the backseat. Riku was already curling up into a ball. _It seems his chest pain is still giving him trouble. Riku is comfortable with this man so I guess it’s fine._ Iori strapped the seat belt on for Riku before he entered the driver seat and drove off. Gaku told Iori directions to his apartment, which was only a 3 minute drive away.

Gaku carried Riku on his back as soon as they got to his apartment. He did not give a chance for Riku to step off the car and walked. The tall man then set him down gently on his king size bed. “Have a good rest, Nanase, we can chat later” Gaku smiled as he cared for Riku. Iori watched from behind. _He might be a little weird, but he is certainly kind._

“Now, who might you be? It’s rare to see Nanase with someone else, let alone being lovey-dovey with them” Gaku got up and walked towards Iori, signaling for him to step backwards so he could close the door for Riku to sleep quietly. He eyed the shopkeeper with interest. It almost looked like he was modeling at that moment. He looked perfect.

“Izumi Iori desu. I..am Riku’s partner.” Iori bowed. Gaku totally did not see that coming.

“Partner? Truly?” Gaku had to confirm he did not mishear. Yes, Gaku knew that Riku was terminally ill so ‘partner’ was slightly hard to believe.

“Yes..” Iori answered. Soon, Gaku bursted out laughing.

“BWAHAHAHAHA, Nanase has gone and done it! Even before I do!” Gaku put his arm over Iori’s shoulder. “Now you’ve got to tell me all about it!” He smirked. Iori knew there was no way he could get out of this.

~~

- **At Takanashi Productions** -

“EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?”

PythaTrio shouted in surprise when MEZZO told them that they had a plan for PythaTrio’s live concert. MEZZO said they got an approval from Otoharu for the plan to be put in place.

Mitsuki started to cry. “You would do this much...for my little brother?” There was no need to ask. Mitsuki loved the plan. Nagi and Yamato were also happy for it to be put in place too.

“It’s for you, too, Mikki. Friends help each other right?” Tamaki smiled.

“And for Nanase-kun as well. Now we just have to hope they can show up for the concert” Sougo spoke.

~~

“I see...so you think there is not much time left for Riku...” Gaku sat on the black modern-looking couch with his face resting on his palm. He knew Riku was leaving, but he did not think it would be so soon.

“Riku would never say it directly” Iori took a sip from milk coffee Gaku got him. “He sleeps more, loses his balance occasionally. Some days he can’t even get out of bed.” Iori was on the verge on tears. “I called the doctor, and..” Iori broke down uncontrollably for the first time in front of someone else. “S-sorry”

Gaku moved to sit beside Iori and grabbed the young boy’s shoulder. “Let it out, Izumi. Just cry.”

Riku could hear the sound of a person weeping. A person dear to him. _Iori..._ Riku put his arm on his head. There, he cried quietly, hearing the scream of the true pain his lover was feeling. Riku respected that Iori has a weak side he did not want to let Riku see. Iori also accepted that Riku needs some time for himself.

So that they could spend all the happy moments together.

Iori took time to calm down a little more before finishing his story. “The doctor said he has 10 months and no more”

Gaku slammed his fist on the marble table. “Damn it! Damn it all!” He was angry. Angry because he thought of Tenn. Riku just wanted to see his brother and knew he had less than a year to do so. Riku went to the office because he wanted to tell his brother the truth, just to be shut down by Tenn who did not even see Riku in the scene.

Iori drank more than half a cup of his coffee in one go. “I didn’t want to do this, but I think I have to tell Tenn-san on my own” Iori took a pause. “But before that...”

Iori whispered to Gaku what he planned to do before he goes to meet Nanase Tenn. Gaku was stunned. He almost could not believe what he was hearing.

“....! Izumi...you are serious about this?!?” Gaku sweatdropped. _This guy..._ When Gaku saw determination in Iori’s eyes, he swallowed then nodded. “You have my full support, Izumi. I have a friend who can also help with the preparations. Let me know when you are ready.”

Gaku also offered to let Iori and Riku stay at his house for as long as they would like. Iori bowed, feeling grateful as he knew Riku wanted to be in the city for a while.

_After all you are the only one who can make Nanase truly happy, Izumi._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First kiss from Iori to Riku yayyyyy!! .....okay, okay I'm sorry if I made you cry. I swear I cried too ;-; 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated~! teehee~
> 
> I wonder what Iori plans to do? What did he say to Gaku? :P


	8. Happiness

- **The day of the Pythagoras Trio Outdoor Live Concert** -

“EHHHH?!? But that can’t be...the boys are so charming...” Takanashi Tsumugi was shocked when she was told only 136 people were heading to PythaTrio’s first concert. The weather was great and there was no road traffic, yet the venue that could fit 3000 people was near empty. Even if people could book tickets online, the publicity was not huge enough. Tsumugi, as PythaTrio’s manager felt it was her own fault. She apologised to Banri, Otoharu and of course PythaTrio.

“We just have to make sure we entertain our 136 guests to the fullest right?!?” Mitsuki shouted. Nagi and Yamato then joined their centre to jump up high in the air. Their group was all about energy, making them different from several idol groups out there.

The truth is, Mezzo was there in the preparation room too. Yes, Mezzo volunteered to perform a special song after PythaTrio, hoping to make today a memorable day for both Riku and Iori. They did not release information to the public as it was supposed to be PythaTrio’s night after all.

That was not all though. MEZZO arranged for another special guest to appear on the show after them too. Again, without letting the public know.

 _Iori...I hope you and your lover will come._ Mitsuki prayed. He wanted his little brother to see how far he has come. Also, he wanted to make the moment special for Iori.

~~

“Iori, I’m kind of nervous” Riku spoke when Iori parked the car right next to the venue.

“Silly Riku” Iori went to open the car door for Riku and reached his hand to him. “You’re going to watch a live concert, not to perform it” He laughed a little.

Riku took Iori’s hand, got out of the car and pouted. “Aren’t you nervous to see your brother?!?”

“N-not in the slightest!” Iori’s face flushed pink. _Baka!_

~~

“I can’t believe it’s near empty!” Riku shouted as the couple made their way to sit at the back row. They could sit anywhere they wanted but the back row was more convenient if Riku needed to walk up for some more fresh air as there was a grassy area nearby. Iori facepalmed. _What a great way to start for you, Nii-san._

“I guess that works in our favour” Iori spoke. Riku leaned onto Iori’s shoulder to show affection. Soon, the stage lighted up. The yellow haired foreigner stepped onto the stage first and blew a kiss for the guests, followed by Yamato who did a gun shot pose and the centre, Mitsuki.

“Hello, Minna~! We are Pythagoras Trio! Let’s have a blast tonight!!”

Iori’s eyes sparkled as he saw his energetic brother danced on stage. _Nii-san!_ Riku did not even have to ask which one of them was his brother as Iori’s eyes were so fixated on the short orange haired boy. Riku giggled seeing Iori smile unusually sweetly. _Iori, you total brocon._

Riku had to step out for a bit during PythaTrio’s last 2 songs. Iori wanted to come with him but Riku insisted he just felt a little nauseous. Iori let Riku go on his own after asking 5 times to make sure.

Riku sat on the grassy area. His chest felt tight and heavy. A minute later he had a minor coughing fit. When he opened his palm, it was a little red.

Blood.

 _Ah, not again..._ Riku sighed and wiped his hand with his handkerchief. Iori has seen him coughing up blood a few times and the younger boy could never hide a surprised face. _It’s just one of the symptoms yet it scares so many people even the cool Iori. Tenn-nii would be devastated._

“Riku, are you unwell?”

Iori came to check on Riku during half of PythaTrio’s last song. _I couldn’t help but worry. Even though he doesn’t like me to see him when he has a minor attack_

“I’m alright now, Iori” Iori helped Riku up and together they walked back to their seats, linking arms.

~~

“Minna! Thank you so much for coming!” Mitsuki spoke after their last song ‘Pythagoras Fighter’ ended.

“But GUESS WHAT minna-san, we have a special guest performing RIGHT NOW!” Nagi winked at the ladies.

“Let’s welcome....MEZZO!” Yamato revealed the surprise.

The famous duo stepped onto the stage and the screams from 136 guests at that moment were as loud as screams from 3000 people.

“No way...!” Iori was frozen on the spot. _imseeingmezzolivemezzoishereomgomgomgomgomgrikuhelp._ Riku was just as shocked as Iori.

“We surprised you didn’t we?!?” Tamaki shouted while Sougo was waving at everyone.

 _Hear our song, Iorin, Rikkun._ Mezzo performed their debut song, “Miss you...” which happened to be the song that made Iori their biggest fanboy ever. The song was so emotional, yet Iori wanted to roll on the floor and let out ‘girly’ screams. Riku hugged Iori so that his soul would not leave the body. Guess it did not work too well.

“Actually” Sougo started speaking after the song. “We have another special guest”

“Hope you enjoyed our performance” MEZZO left without introducing the next idol. The stage went dark for a while until...

On one side of the stage, a man with a silver hair as long as his waist entered the stage. On the other side, a man with double coloured hair stepped onto the performance ground.

Riku’s eyes opened wide.

“Hello everyone! Re:vale desu~!”

If Iori hadn’t supported Riku’s back, the redhead would have fallen off the seat. “Iori, it’s Re:vale, right? Right? I’m not seeing things right?!?”

“Yes, Riku, yes” Iori was not sure how all this happened. _It can’t be a coincidence..!_

Momo grabbed the mic and spoke “Since Yuki and I are here to perform one song, do we have a request?” Momo winked. The audience started shouting their own song of choice, be it ‘Kiseki’, ‘No Doubt’ or ‘Dis one’.

Iori knew what song his partner would want to hear the most. He stood up, breathed in deeply then shouted. His shout was the loudest he has ever done in life.

“SILVER SKYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!”

Even though Re:vale was so far away from them, Iori felt like his eyes met with Yuki’s. It was as if his feelings got through. Yuki whispered something to Momo and the duo walked away from each other, ready to perform.

Riku’s tears welled up as the beginning of the song ‘Silver Sky’ started playing.

Iori pulled Riku into a hug as the older boy was sobbing with happy tears. _Everyone, thank you so..so much._

_Iori, thank you. This moment. I shall never forget._

_Even when I leave this world._

Iori also cried. This time he did not bother to hide it. He did not mind if anyone saw him like that right at that very moment. He hugged Riku tighter and let the tears flow.

_I never knew..._

_that tears could be so sweet._

~~

MEZZO and PythaTrio thanked Re:vale greatly for responding to MEZZO’s relatively urgent request. While MEZZO were explaining the situation to Re:vale, Mitsuki’s eyes met with his group members.

“Go, Mitsu” Yamato knew what Mitsuki wanted to do. He wanted to see a brother he has not seen for a long time, and he also wanted to meet a man Iori was in love with. Nagi threw Mitsuki a hoodie. Mitsuki put it on immediately and covered his head. He ran to the audience area, but it was already empty.

 _I can’t lose heart now!_ Mitsuki thought. _They might still be nearby! Where, Mitsuki. Think. where?_ Mitsuki found the venue car park and rushed to that area. Most of the cars were already gone, but a few still remained scattered throughout the area.

Mitsuki ran to one car after another only to find empty cars. _No...no..._ He was starting to feel hopeless when he ran to the corner, looking left and right for more cars when he heard a voice.

“Mitsuki-san...?”

Mitsuki quickly turned his head to the source of the sound. He saw a car with a door of front passenger seat opened. He decided to walk closer and looked inside. There, he saw a boy with bright red hair and eyes, lying, looking tired, in an angled car seat, staring at him.

 _Not Iori huh..?_ Mitsuki thought, about to wave goodbye and walked away when the redhead slowly sat up and got out of the car.

“Are you looking for Iori?”

Riku tilted his head and smiled. That smile was so heartwarming. Mitsuki could not take his eyes of it. He took seconds before realising he had to answer. “Uh..oh yes! Um, who might you be?”

Riku bowed. “Nanase Riku desu, I’m Iori’s partner. It’s nice to meet you, Mitsuki-san” Riku still smiled. Mitsuki’s eyes went wide. _Riku..this..this is Iori’s lover. Iori fell in love with this guy?_

Riku felt a wave of dizziness that he had to sit back down. He was not sure how much Mitsuki knew about him from Iori. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting down, Mitsuki-San. Iori went to the toilet in the venue. He will be back soon. Why don’t you sit somewhere?”

Mitsuki decided to open the back door and sat down. He did not know what to say too Riku. _This guy is making my brother happy. At the same time, he is making Iori suffer. Even though I know it is not Riku’s fault, I can’t seem to accept him. I feel terrible._

“Mitsuki-san, it’s okay...if you don’t like me” Riku spoke without looking backwards. The truth is sometimes Riku could not help blaming himself for involving Iori in his life even though his time was short. The sick boy thought Mitsuki would probably hate him for doing so.

 _Stab._ It was as if Mitsuki’s heart was pierced by a spear. A part of him wanted to shout ‘No! That’s not true!’ but his other self was preventing him from doing so. Mitsuki’s hand trembled. He took a deep breath before sorting out his thought process.

“Riku” Mitsuki called Riku by first name since Riku is technically a part of his family. “Listen, I’m going to give you a lecture. You don’t have to sit up straight, just look here and listen carefully”

“While it is hard for me to accept that Iori has to go through some suffering by spending time with you, the boy has grown in a better way. In a way I could never hope he would turn into. The fact that he has been caring for you, taking you to places shows that he’s changed. The Iori I knew used to do anything perfectly but was unsociable and he did not know how to enjoy life. You taught him that. We talked on the phone a few times, and I could see that just by listening to his story”

Mitsuki paused. Finally he returned a smile to Riku. “So don’t ever say something like that. I’m more happy to see you two share the love with each other” Mitsuki ruffled Riku’s head with care. The moment was interrupted by Iori opening a driver door in surprise.

“Nii-san!?!” Iori was not prepare for that. Mitsuki winked at Riku before he bolted out the door and hugged Iori. Riku wanted to watch the two brothers’ moment of reunion but his eyes would not stay open. He fell asleep from exhaustion.

The Izumis chatted for a while. They exchanged contact numbers and hoped to meet up more. Iori cried. He thanked Mitsuki greatly and asked him to thank MEZZO and the rest for arranging a special concert just for them. The idols wanted the couple to have the precious moment to remember.

Iori had one last news to tell Mitsuki, the same news he told Yaotome Gaku the other day.

“Iori, I am very proud of you. Text me about that okay?!?” Mitsuki ruffled Iori’s head the same way he did to Riku.

 _I could never ask for a better family._ Mitsuki thought as Iori drove away in the darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me glad that the two got to see their dream idols on stage >< and omg Mitsuki is such a good brother
> 
> So just to let you know this fic will end at chapter 11, so only three more chapters! I hope you are enjoying it so far. (Even though Riku is...) Comments and kudos are always, always appreciated!


	9. Preciousness

- **A week after the concert** -

Iori kissed the still sleepy Riku on the forehead before leaving Gaku’s apartment in the morning. Iori said he had some errands to run. Riku did not know what it was but Gaku did. Gaku assured that he would look after Riku. He wished Iori good luck when the younger boy left the place.

Iori followed a hand drawn map to a meeting place where he was to meet Gaku’s friend. Once he got there right on time, the boy looked around to find a tall man with short brown hair waving at him.

The two men went to the cafe nearby for a chat after introducing themselves.

“Hmmmm I see your partner is really quite ill. So a planned surprise event is a no go huh?” Tsunashi Ryuunosuke who was Gaku’s good old friend was there, stirring his coffee while being deep in thought.

“I don’t want to just propose to him the basic way. I want it to be special for him and I need ideas”

That’s right. Iori wanted to propose to Riku, which was why he was seeking advice from Ryuu. Ryuu was a wedding event planner. He had helped couples from picking a ring to organising the big day. According to Gaku though, Ryuu himself was not very tactical with women.

The two some spent time planning out the marriage proposal. While it was going relatively well, there was one more thing Iori needed to sort out.

“Iori-kun, have you got a ring for Riku-kun yet?” Ryuu asked while giving Iori a gentle smile.

“That’s also another issue. The best jewellery out there is made by NanaseJewel, but giving NanaseJewel ring to a Nanase is pretty strange, don’t you think?” Iori answered and again he got a typical reaction from a person who heard about ‘Nanase’. Iori recalled that Riku used to help with his brother’s business work, so it was possible that Riku knew about the ring designs. NanaseJewel rings were all full of elegance and beauty, but Iori just wanted Riku to know that he was sincere and that he loved Riku with all his heart.

Another option was for Iori to place a custom order to get a special ring made for him. Then again, Tenn did not exactly gave him a warm welcome the last time they met. While it was likely that a huge business owner would not notice a normal order coming through, he did not want to take any chances. If Tenn found out about this whole plan, everything would be ruined. Plus, a custom order would take quite long. Riku had not got time for that.

Ryuu looked at Iori's face and smiled. “Iori-kun, I think your partner would appreciate any ring if you put your heart into picking one out for him” It was true. Even now, Ryuu could see that Iori put a lot of consideration into every single steps. There was no way Iori's feelings would not reach Riku's 

~~

It was nearly 12PM. Gaku realised Riku was still in bed. He went to knock on the door. “Nanase, are you awake?” Gaku decided to open the door after receiving no reply. Riku was still lying in bed, panting. He was quite sweaty.

“Yaotome-san, w-what time...?” The redhead spoke with a hoarse voice when he noticed a tall man was approaching him.

“12. You already missed breakfast, that’s not good. You need to eat something.” Gaku was expecting Riku to get up, but Riku did not move. “Are you alright, Nanase?”

“* _huff*_ I-I feel really tired..” Gaku sat on the chair beside Riku’s bed and helped Riku sit up. After making sure Riku was okay, he went to cook Riku some soft vegetable porridge that would be easy for him to swallow. Seeing Riku on his 'bad day' like that made Gaku think about Tenn even more. That made Gaku feel so frustrated every time.  _That brat...!_

Riku felt stronger in the afternoon so he came to sit in the living room, chatting with Gaku. Gaku tried to call Tenn but all his calls were refused. Tenn always shuts everyone out whenever he is stressed with work. This time though, Tenn took it to the extreme. Even Riku himself could not reach him. The younger twin was worried, but his health was already giving him a big burden so he tried to tell himself that Tenn would contact him back soon. 

~~

In the afternoon, Iori headed to one of the NanaseJewel shop branches. _I wouldn’t have to come here if Tenn-san was more supportive of our relationship._  A staff immediately came to greet her customer. Their customer service was also top-notch. Iori browsed through a huge catalog of rings while sitting on the sofa. The staff was chatting to him, guiding him to pages after pages based on Iori's descriptions. She was really patient and Iori appreciated that as he felt like he was one of the pickiest groom-to-be. None of the designs really appealed to him until he flipped to one particular page.

It was a thin rose gold ring with ribbon-like features on the top. A medium sized diamond stood in the middle, shining brilliantly.

It was totally cute, just like Iori’s lover. Not only that, he knew Riku was sure to love this ring. He decided that he was going for this one. Iori had a good eye as the staff said this ring was one of the special edition ones which were only produced for a short limited time.

Iori left the shop with pink blushes on his cheeks and a small bag in his hand. He could hardly wait for the moment he get to show it to Riku.

~~

- **Five days later** -

Riku’s condition has been quite stable for the past three days. Early in the morning, Iori secretly left the apartment. Riku was surprised to wake up to see Gaku instead of Iori.

“Yaotome-san, where is Iori?” Riku asked during breakfast. Gaku told Riku that Iori went to buy stuffs he asked the younger boy to pick up. Then, he went to sit right in front of Riku and smirked. 

“Nanase, interested in a day of modelling work? Gaku put his face closer to Riku and asked, making Riku pull away a little. 

“W-What are you saying, Yaotome-san?” Riku almost dropped his spoon. Of course he was more than surprised. Why would the top model, Yaotome Gaku, ask a sick boy about doing this line of work? According to Iori or Tenn, Riku was cute, but with the state he was in, he looked way too tired to be posing for photos. 

“I have to model for a photoshoot at the waterfall just out of the city. Would be nice to pose with someone for a change. How about it?” Gaku actually sounded very convincing. “Don’t worry. You can do just fine with your condition.” He took his phone and showed Riku the said location. Okay, that got Riku's interest a little more. The red head loved nature. He was never able to go out much so this may be his opportunity. He also did not feel too bad today. Hard choice.

“B-but!” Riku thought _Is he serious...? Why would he ask me of all people? Tenn-nii looks much more suited for the work, and Iori too is pretty handsome._

Gaku did not back down. “Izumi will catch up with us later. He told me he would love to see you in a nice suit...” He kept going on, throwing all the persuasive techniques he had. In order words, Riku had no say in the matter.

Gaku dressed Riku up in a pure white suit with golden thread edges. Riku was surprised by how well it fit him. Riku almost did not recognise himself in the mirror when Gaku sorted out his hair and make up. What he saw reminded him of the days he used to work with his brother, he had to suit up everyday like this. Gaku himself wore a princely grey suit. _Yaotome-san looks gorgeous! I want to see Iori in a suit like that too..._

It did not take long at all for the two to arrive at the small but beautiful waterfall with crystal clear water. Riku was in awe when he exited the car. “UWAAAAAAHHHH” His red eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Riku walked a bit further, he took care not to wreck his suit with splashing water. It was Riku’s kind of place. Something like what Tenn showed Riku the other day. It was actually possible to walk under the waterfall to the opposite of him, but Riku knew he should not stray too far. 

“Yaotome-san, this place is wonderful!” Riku shouted happily and turned his head back to the car.

But Gaku was nowhere in sight.

“Eh? Where did he go?” Riku tilted his head.

Before he could move, Riku heard the sound of the footsteps as they hit the rocks and water on the ground. Riku slowly turned towards that direction. That moment, Riku’s mouth dropped.

A boy in a fine black suit with silver thread edges walked gracefully towards him. Not a single strand of the boy’s hair was out of place. Riku was taken away by the beauty presenting before him.

“Iori...”

Iori came to a stop when he was close to Riku. The dark haired man of perfection presented a black box to Riku. The man bent one knee to the ground and carefully opened the box.

The rose gold diamond ring glistened in the sunlight. Iori looked up at Riku and said...

“Will you marry me?”

Riku covered his mouth with his hands. He was on the verge of tears. Never had he thought he would get to experience something like this. “Iori...” Riku stared at Iori’s face with his teary eyes. _Is this really okay..? Can I really say..._

Iori’s expression remained serious, but he let a bit of a smile slip through. Riku closed his eyes, letting the tears flow down. His legs felt so weak he could not keep standing. Riku was down on his knees when...

“Yes...Iori, Yes”

Iori smiled looking at the sobbing Riku. He gently took the ring out of the box and put it on Riku’s left ring finger. Immediately after that he pulled Riku’s body into a tight hug. Riku also hugged back firmly.

_I never ever want to let him go._ Iori refused to release Riku.

Riku also did not want Iori to let go. _Oh Iori, I wish I could stay with you forever._

After a moment, whistles of celebration broke the sweet silence. Gaku and Ryuu came out of their hiding. Not just them, Mitsuki came out with an arm over his face, trying to hide his happy tears.

“MHHMMMnnngghhh I’m * _sob*_ so * _sob*_ happy for you two” Mitsuki ran in to hug the boys’ necks. Iori had to warn him not to suffocate Riku, but they were all smiling, laughing and crying too much. 

“We got really good shots, these two are no doubt good models” Gaku smirked. Ryuu laughed before going to congratulate the engaged couple. Both Ryuu and Gaku had cameras in their hands. The whole set up went incredibly well thanks to Iori and Ryuu's ideas and plans. Mitsuki ran back to Gaku and Ryuu to see the photos.

Riku looked around. Of course Tenn was not there. Iori gave Riku a sad look and said “Sorry, Riku. I tried to contact Tenn-sa-“ Riku quickly put his index finger on top of Iori’s mouth to make him stop talking. Then he gave Iori a sudden kiss.

Iori blushed hard. He was certain, at that moment he was the happiest man in the world ever.

~~

- **The day after the proposal** -

“Riku, are you ready?” Iori held Riku’s hand. They were standing in front of that room again: Tenn’s office. Gaku was waiting in the lobby in case something were to happen to the lovely couple.

Riku knocked twice and entered the room. To their surprise, Tenn was sitting behind his table, staring straight at them with his seemingly pissed face. Tenn did not walk to them this time, so Iori and Riku went to the table.

Normally, Tenn would be sweet to Riku regardless of circumstances. Today, however, it seemed Tenn had too much stressful things on his mind. In fact, the businessman has not been eating or sleeping properly for weeks now and it was shown through.

“Why are you two here this time?” Tenn sighed and asked. His eyes were as cold as ice. He did not offer tea or water or even said hello. All he did was stared at the two with his dead pink eyes.

“Tenn-nii, you don’t look well at all, what’s wrong?” Riku expressed his concern. It was clear something was not right. Tenn slammed the table, startling Riku.

“You think you are well enough to be worrying about other people’s condition?!?” Tenn screamed and that sent pain through Riku’s chest. Even though Iori was angry, he tried to remain patient. 

“Tenn-san, Riku just wants to tell you something important” Iori spoke. Riku continued right away, while giving his best smile. “Ano ne, Tenn-nii” Riku showed his beloved brother a ring on his finger. “Iori and I are getting married so-“

“You two are WHAT?!?” Tenn slammed the table again and this time, he got up. Tenn has been on edge all the time. He snapped at pretty much everything people say to him. “Riku, stop acting stupid. Last I saw, you two were dating. Now, you’re marrying? Things escalated incredibly fast, huh?”

“Um, there’s a...reason...for that” Riku's smile disappeared and he looked down. He was sad as he was about to tell his twin the truth about his condition. Iori squeezed Riku’s hand as a reassurance. Then everything came crumbling down with Tenn's next inconsiderate sentence.

“Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it”

That was it. Riku felt like he could hear the sound of his own heart cracking. Riku's tears started flowing and his breathing became uneven. Iori grabbed Riku shoulders, telling his lover to calm down and breathe slowly before turning to Tenn.

“Tenn-san! You are hurting Riku!” Iori could not bear to see Riku’s pale and depressed face. It was as if Tenn was blind, Riku's suffering did not even affect him one bit. He continued to rage on.

“You are an outsider, Izumi, this is a family matter.” 

“You are the one who don’t understand anything!” Iori was getting too irritated now. Tenn was about to open his mouth to argue when Riku suddenly screamed.

"Tenn-nii, why must you be so horrible!?!" 

Tenn was slight taken aback. The younger twin refused to back down. He spoke with his tired voice while being so out of breath. "I have always been trying to tell you things, but you never listened. When you seem stressed, and I want to be there for you, you shut me out! The only thing I could ever do was to accept the way you care for me, and that just...just makes me feel like we don't know each...other...* _cough_ * at all...* _gasp_ *"

Riku felt like his whole body was burning. When he inhaled, nothing went into his lungs. Riku’s vision became blurry and the boy lost his consciousness. His body was falling down to the floor. Iori caught and cradled Riku’s body in his arm. “No! Riku!” The youngest did not waste a moment and called the ambulance right away.

It was as if Tenn just woke up from a drama fantasy to a harsh reality. His brother was lying still, unconscious and not breathing, with Iori by his side, doing everything in his power to get Riku to breathe again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, why must I end a chapter like this? Sowry, lovely people. I am still offering tissues and handkerchiefs but I'm afraid I can't mend your hearts ;-; 
> 
> Oh Tenn you messed up big time....
> 
> Again, please comment! Any votes/comments/kudos are greatly appreciated! They really keep me writing xx


	10. Forgiveness

“Riku, please, you have to be okay”

Iori clasped his hands tightly as he waited in front of the hospital room. He prayed for a miracle. He pleaded to fate to give his partner more time in this world. Riku’s breathing stopped when the ambulance took him away, but Iori still held on to hope that the doctors would save him.

Tenn sat far way from Iori in a dim hallway, feeling detached from reality.  _This can’t be happening. Why was Riku’s attack so suddenly severe?_

“Tenn...” Gaku moved to sit beside Tenn and touched the business owner’s shoulder. Gaku had not heard the details about what happened during their conversations. He felt sympathetic for Tenn. Stress at work was already swallowing the boy and now, he had to face this painful moment.

“Why...? I don’t understand. I was doing all I can to look after him so that he would get better. So why..?” Tenn spoke to Gaku, looking down to the ground. “I really am wrong all this time. I did what I think would protect him, but it turns out that I shut him out. You have been telling me. Izumi has been telling me. I am such an idiot.” Tenn would not stop blaming himself.

Iori heard what Tenn said and walked to the soft pink haired boy. “Riku always, always say how much he admire you.” Iori spoke with a shaky voice. “Somehow you are so admirable that he feels like he cannot reach you” Iori’s whole body shook. It took everything in him to keep standing and not feeling like the ground would crack and consume him. He started sobbing. His mind was filled with so much sadness and frustration. He had to fight hard to not give in to despair. “Why didn’t you try to listen to what he said, what he was trying to tell you, Tenn-san!?!” Finally the boy shouted and broke into tears. Falling to his knees, he grabbed a hold of Tenn’s trousers.

“Riku is dying! He hasn’t even got 10 months and he has been trying so hard to tell you that!” Iori pounded Tenn’s leg. Gaku went, hugged Iori and supported him up onto a chair, trying to calm him down. Tenn gasped, his body trembled in total shock.

“....R-Riku is...” His heart, instead of feeling the intensity of sadness, regrets were burning it. “And I said all those things. I said I would do this and that with him when he got better. I said those and he...he just smiled.” Tenn could never cry. All these years he went through everything without crying. Right now, he wished he knew how to cry because he could only scream. That was hardly enough to let his emotions out. “WHY, Riku? Gaku? Izumi? WHY WERE YOU ALL HIDING THIS FROM ME!?!”

Still sobbing, Iori forced out his words. “Tenn-san, it was just..too hard to say...”

~~

The hospital clock was ticking too loud because the whole hallway was so quiet. No one moved. No one spoke. No one cried.

“Izumi” Tenn spoke in his hoarse voice. It was so quiet it almost went unheard. Iori looked at Tenn without knowing what to expect.

“You knew that Riku is running out of time, yet you still proposed to him?” Tenn asked knowing if it was him, he would not be able to do that. He thought he was strong when actually he was running away from reality unlike Iori. Iori nodded. Tenn could see determination through Iori’s eyes even though they were all going through a tough moment. “You truly are a brave man, Izumi” Tenn said honestly, finally coming to acknowledging the young boy.

“I just want to make Riku happy. He also made me really happy. If I hadn’t met him, I would have never learned to break out of my shell. My life would always be so mundane and meaningless.” Iori took a deep breath. “I said to myself I am prepared, but I am not so sure anymore. I am afraid, terrified even.” Iori thought Gaku and Tenn were going to tell him he was half-hearted when Tenn moved closer to him and grabbed his hand.

“Thank you for being there for Riku” said Tenn.

“It’s normal to feel that way. It doesn’t change the fact that you are courageous, Izumi” Gaku smiled a little and patted Iori’s head lightly.

~~

Maybe fate saw some light in this family’s life. Riku was saved. It took two weeks for him to recover from critical condition and to be allowed to leave the hospital. Iori was packing his and Riku’s belongings that they had in Gaku’s house. Tenn bought the couple a lovely little house in the city for them to move in. It was around 5 minute drive from Gaku’s and right next to Tenn’s.

“I will miss having a lovey-dovey couple in my place. Enjoy your time together. Hopefully you will invite me over sometimes, hm?” Gaku spoke after he finished helping to load the stuffs into Iori’s car. He gave the usual modelling style charming smile to the couple.

“Of... _cough_...Of course, Yaotome-san! You can come anytime, okay?” Riku beamed as he went to give Gaku his best hug.

“Thank you for everything you have done for us” Iori bowed. After a few minutes, Iori drove off to his and Riku’s new home.

_Stay strong, Izumi. And you too, Nanase._

~~

The house was in a quiet area of the city with clean air and green spaces. The size of this wooden house was perfect for the couple. A little larger that Riku’s house in Sinra, but small enough for Riku to get around without using too much of his effort.

“UWWWAAAHHH a king size bed!” Riku went in their bedroom with wooden walls and yellow lights. The bed sheet was soft pink with thick darker pink blanket, looking very lovely. The red head lied on the soft, comfortable bed. “Now I can sleep with Iori~”

“Fwah!?! W-what are you saying Riku?!?” Iori’s mind may have drifted to a naughty place. Riku tilted his head in confusion. “Do you not want to sleep with me?”

Iori sighed and went to join Riku on their lovely bed. “Of course I do” He pinched Riku’s cheek a little.

Iori left Riku to take a nap while he started unpacking their things. The two did not have a lot of stuffs so it only took around an hour. Iori thought it was time to start preparing dinner when he heard the doorbell.

Tenn appeared with a bag of what seemed like food in his hand. “Hello, Izumi. How are you two finding this house?” The business owner asked as Iori invited him in.

“It is very lovely, Tenn-san. Riku is already asleep on the bed.” Iori showed a little grin. He went to find a kettle for making tea in the kitchen. “How are you feeling now, Tenn-san?” It was obvious Iori did not ask about Tenn’s physical condition. He was concerned since Tenn found out about Riku’s illness not too long ago. Plus, stress at work still remained.

“I’ve been seeing a counsellor, so I’m doing much better” Tenn put the food he got in the fridge. “I still need to apologise to Riku though. What I did was wrong.” Tenn turned to Iori and bowed. “And please accept my apology, Izumi Iori”

“Don’t worry about it, Tenn-san. We knew you were troubled. Just try to be careful next time okay?” Iori smiled. Although he did wonder, if Riku did not survive that severe attack, would he be able to forgive Tenn? Then he thought Riku would becuase that silly boy was the most kind-hearted person in the world.

~~

“Tenn-nii, thank you for bringing us dinner!” Riku went closer to his twin brother to cuddle him. Tenn gave back a smile Riku did not know he missed.  _Finally, Tenn-nii got back his smile!_

Iori knew the two brothers probably wanted to talk, so he gathered dirty dishes and disappeared into the kitchen. The twins moved to the couch and sat quietly for a while. Both of them tried to think of what to say first. They had a lot on their minds. At the same time, all those things were difficult to say.

“Tenn-nii...you know...I haven’t got long...” Riku attempted to start. The twins did not look at each other. Tenn could not stand seeing Riku being sad and Riku could not bear to see Tenn’s pained expression.

“Yes, Riku, I know” The business owner thought he had forgotten how to cry. Apparently, he could cry so much more.  _Not now. Please._  “I am really sorry I never listened to you. All this time I thought...I could make the business grow, earn a lot of money and grant all of your wishes...” Tenn sniffled.

“But it could not buy your life.” Tenn poured some red wine from the bottle in front of him into his glass and took a sip, hoping it would distract him. “Riku, I’m so sorry. I really am. I won’t ask you to forgive me. Just, please, let me make up for what I did.”

“I was never angry at Tenn-nii. I just couldn’t bear to see you becoming more and more distant.” Riku stopped to draw deep breaths in. “Let me carry some of your burden too. You don’t need to shoulder mine alone” The red haired boy rested his head on his twin’s shoulder. His little smile was pure.

Tenn did not hesitate to take the first step. He set down his glass and lightly enbraced Riku's body. “It’s been stressful at work. A certain company tried to sue us for copying their jewel designs. I was so caught up in it that I forgot to take care of myself. To think I always used to scold you about being professional...”

The twins continued talking. Soon, Iori joined them with a double layered chocolate cake with white chocolate rabbits on top. If there was anything Riku loved more than his partner, it would be his partner’s sweet desserts. Riku was taking his time savouring the taste of rich chocolate in his every bite.

Later, Iori went to see Tenn off at the door, leaving Riku to watch some shows on the couch. Tenn was about to step out when he was reminded of something. “Ah, Izumi” He turned back to face Iori and leaned himself forward near Iori’s ear.

“Are you two going to hold a wedding?” Tenn whispered. Iori suddenly looked quite down. Tenn started to feel bad for asking.

Iori spoke quietly. “It might be a burden to Riku’s health. I’m not sure if Riku wants it. We still need to talk about it.”

~~

Iori slowly and quietly sat on and crawl under the blanket of their new king sized bed. Riku was already there, sleeping peacefully and Iori would not want to interrupt that. All lights were turned off except for the pink lamp on Iori’s bedside table. Riku’s breathing was relatively loud and unstable, but Iori got used to it. The younger boy turned off his lamp then rested his head on the pillow, whispering “Good Night, Riku”.

“Iori”

It turned out Riku was not really sleeping. He opened his eyes and reached his hand out to grab Iori’s arm. Iori blushed as he slowly moved closer to Riku. Their faces were so close together that Riku could feel Iori’s breath. The two stared at each other for a while.

“We don’t have to get married, you know?”

Riku’s words spoken in shaky voice caught Iori’s attention. “What are you saying, Riku?” Iori lightly squeezed Riku’s arm. “Do you not want to?” Iori patiently waited for an answer. If it was his lover’s decision, he would accept it no matter how difficult it was to do so.

“It’s...not that I don’t want to, Iori” Iori could hear sobbing sounds. “It’s just...I...I love you so much * _huff*_  and...and I don’t want you to be left all alone.” Riku weeped. “I want to be with you!”

The red head broke down. His trembling hands held on to Iori’s shirt as he cried out. River of tears flowed down, wetting his whole face. Iori could only embrace his lover softly because he could not help crying too.

“Riku...” Iori tried to talk as normal as possible even though it was not working too well. “When I asked you * _sniff*_  to marry me, I-I wanted to make you the happiest person ever” The younger boy patted Riku’s back. “But it’s not just that. I would love, * _sob*_  more than anything, to spend my life with you as your husband” He hugged Riku a little tighter before giving him a kiss.

 

“I love you with all my heart, Riku.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part where Iori told Tenn about Riku's illness was inspired by Final Fantasy X story if any of you recognised the lines xx 
> 
> The last chapter will be out soon >////< Ah I'm excited to let you lovely people read it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudos and comments are appreciated ALWAYS <3


	11. Stillness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the wedding I didn’t want it to be based on religious ceremonies etc so i just wrote my ideas up. Feel free to imagine it as you like ^^  
> It’s 11:14 on Sunday UK time so ehehe I’m not late enjoy~!

A short orange haired boy carefully adjusted the black bow tie on his younger brother’s neck. “Cool! Now you look totally smart!” Mitsuki beamed, feeling so proud of his younger brother on his big day.

One of the decorated gardens owned by NanaseJewel was booked as a wedding venue. The grand event was organised by none other than Tsunashi Ryunosuke after discussing with the couple about their ideas. Iori left it to Riku to pick a theme and of course, he picked ‘Bakery Shop’. The tables were covered with pastel coloured cloths, a tall layered tray of macaroons were placed on top on each. Fences and all that were decorated with props which looked like sweet bakery stuffs. When Iori asked why Riku chose this bizarre theme, Riku said it reminded him of the day he met Iori at his shop.

Mitsuki looked up at Iori who wore an elegant black suit with a pure white shirt underneath. “Iori, have a good life, okay?” Mitsuki smiled as he wished the best for his little brother. “Thank you, Nii-san” Iori smiled back before walking away and exited the room. He walked towards the garden along the stone pavement to meet the love of his life.

_I am very proud of you, Iori_

“Riku, are you ready?” Tenn spoke as he put a jewel necklace on for Riku in front of the large mirror. “Uwaaah so pretty!” The tiny crystal jewel shone brightly. It was a perfect match for Riku’s white patterned suit. The suit was thoroughly designed to be lightly loose on the chest and neck area for Riku. Despite that, he was probably the most beautiful groom-to-be at that moment.

Riku slowly stood up and took Tenn’s hand “Let’s go Tenn-nii”. With his twin brother supporting him, Riku walked along the the other stone pavement in order to meet his lover in the middle. Tenn stopped and stepped back as the couple were getting closer.

_I am happy for you, Riku and Izumi._

The couple were drawn in by each other’s beauty. To Iori, Riku was an angel with transparent wings glittering in the sunlight. To Riku, Iori was a handsome prince walking out of the fairy tale castle. The two stood before a large gorgeous and stunning ice sculpture. It represented a man who looked like Iori, giving a heart shaped cake to Riku.

The lovers clasped one of their hands and used their free hands to grab a tall glass of coloured water by the statue. Together, they poured the liquid onto a special tray. It was a magical moment when the ice sculpture came to life. Colourless ice turned transparent blue on Iori’s section and red on Riku’s. The cheers of joy and happiness from the guests, including Ryuu and Gaku, filled the venue when Iori and Riku kissed for the first time as a married couple.

~~

The couple spent most of their time together. Iori taught Riku several sweet bread and cake recipes. Riku would always make them too sweet. “Iori’s bakery is the best after all!” said the smiley red head. Iori, despite being quite perfect, learned a lot from Riku. He listened to the days Riku used to help with NanaseJewel. Riku had taught him to become more sociable. He also made Iori discover that he had a great charming voice when they sang to MEZZO or Re:vale songs every night.

Iori and Riku was enjoying the sun in the backyard garden. They lied down on their picnic mat to relax and enjoy the nice weather.

“Ne, Iori. What’s your dream?” Riku asked as he stared at the clear blue sky, watching the clouds change their shapes. Iori was about to open his mouth to answer when Riku stopped him. “Don’t say it is to be with me. I mean, your dream, as in what you want to do in life.” He drew in deep breaths. “What do you want to do...when I’m gone?”

Iori felt so bitter and lost. The obvious choice would be to go back to his bakery in Sinra and reopen his business, but did he really want to do that? Without Riku, his life would revert back to ‘normal’. Iori never really had a purpose in life. He never knew what he truly enjoyed or was passionate about. Riku was probably the opposite. Because of his health complications, he was always limited from doing several things. Ironic, was it not?

Seeing that Iori went quiet, Riku knew the answer. Riku knew Iori did not know what he wanted to do. Riku was worried for Iori's future. Even if his hourglass stopped turning, Iori's would still be flipping itself for several more times. His husband always said he would be fine. Riku knew it was a lie.  _What do you love, Iori?_

Riku started sitting up because it got harder to breathe. His breaths became laboured. “Riku?” Iori quickly got up and supported Riku. He was having another attack. He collapsed onto Iori's body, pulling the rim of Iori's shirt sleeve as he was in a terrible amount of pain. Riku’s attacks became more and more frequent as days passed by. His lungs were only getting weaker.

_Iori, I hope you figure out what to do before I..._

~~

Iori seldom leaves Riku in Tenn's care to go outside and find some jobs, see people do some activities or look for inspirations. One day, he went for a walk around town. He popped into all kinds of shops and looked around the places he had never checked out before. Even that, nothing sparked in his mind until...

He got to the town square. MEZZO's live performance was being shown on the huge screen of the building. They were singing ‘Dear Butterfly’, one of Iori’s favourite songs. Iori smiled as he remembered the day he saw MEZZO live with Riku.

_I wish I could shine like them._

Iori stared at the screen, listening to the duo's voice with appreciation. Nearing the end, he was about to step away when he heard a voice in his head.

_”What do you want to do...when I’m gone?”_

Riku’s words kept repeating in his mind since that day.  _I don’t know, Riku. I don’t know what to do!_  Iori shook his head and ran. It was as if dark clouds were accumulating in his head, about to cause a thunderstorm. He kept running far, far away from where he was, until he got to a quieter place with a river view. He looked at the sun which was close to setting time and let the wind blow past his body.

It kept haunting him. He was scared. He did not want to lose Riku. He wished Riku could get better. He wished so that they could figure out what to do together. It was such a selfish thought yet he wanted it to be true.

Iori did not want to cry, so he took a deep breath, opened his mouth and started to sing Riku’s favourite song ‘Silver Sky’ with his shaky voice. He cried anyway, but he continued to sing. He recalled how Riku was so happy that day at the concert. He remembered the times he sang with Riku to sleep.

Riku always smiled.

After he finished the song, Iori ran back home. Despite having no reasons to run, he ran. He ran so that he would get back to Riku as soon as possible. After all, he needed to tell his dear husband something.

“Riku!” Iori shouted as he swung the house door open. He was panting heavily from sprinting back the last few hundred metres. Riku who was sitting on the couch and reading his book, was slightly startled by that. Tenn was getting a shower so he was not there with Riku.

“Iori, what’s the matt-“

Iori rushed in to give Riku a kiss then he hugged his partner tightly. “Riku I know it now. I know what I want to do!”

“I want to sing! I’ll sing so that I can create precious moments for other people, like what MEZZO, PythaTrio and Re:vale did to us!”

Riku’s red eyes widened. His heart was filled with relief. So much that tears started streaming down his face. Riku gave Iori his gentle, sweet, smile.

“That’s good, Iori, that’s great”

Iori sat down right beside Riku and started singing 'Mikansei na Bokura' by Re:vale. Riku rested the side of his head on Iori's shoulder and joined in. Riku was no longer able to sing long chorus without getting out of breath, but their voices still formed a beautiful harmony. When Tenn entered the scene, he secretly recorded the video from the far side. Tenn later sent the video file to Iori. Whenever Iori feels lost or tired, he watches the video to give him the strength he needs. 

~~

For around a month, Iori has been accepting a few small jobs to sing in restaurants or for some local events, around 1 to 2 hours a day or so.  The young boy receives a few compliments each day. Today, at one of the bars in the city, a certain blond haired man wearing dark red suits clapped when Iori finished a song and came to him.

“You have talent in you, young man. I can feel your passion” He took out a business card and handed it to Iori. “Are you interested in singing on stage?”

When Iori saw the card, his hand shook and his pale face lost a little more of its colour. “Takanashi productions?!”  _Wait..no way!_  The middle aged man laughed seeing how Iori reacted. “So you know us, what’s your name young boy?”

"Izumi Iori desu" 

Takanashi Otoharu recognised the surname. As they talked, Iori said he was forever grateful that Otoharu let MEZZO and Re:vale came on PythaTrio’s live concert. Otoharu said it must have been the work of fate that Iori was scouted. Iori was a little hesitant when Otoharu talked about an audition. He thought if he became an idol, he would hardly have any time for Riku. The young boy went silent and thought really hard.  _I might have to decline, after all...even though it is a once in a lifetime opportunity._

“Do it, Iori”

Iori jumped as he heard a voice he knew too well. He turned his head to see Riku standing with Gaku supporting his shoulders. Gaku was taking Riku out for a drive when they saw Iori through the window. Riku was smiling at him, giving Iori the approval and the assurance the younger boy needed.

_Riku..._

_I understand._

Iori nodded to Riku before turning to face Otoharu. He agreed to turn up for an audition. Gaku, Iori and Riku then called Tenn. They had a meal out together to celebrate Iori's first step forward to his dream.

~~

Iori passed an audition and his career as an idol began. On his first day, Mitsuki screamed in shock as he saw Iori appeared as a new recruit. Iori had a hard time getting out of fanboy mode every time he met MEZZO, but he managed to finally thank them properly for the special concert. MEZZO and PythaTrio said they were looking forward to working with Iori when the opportunity comes.

Riku is always sitting down and writing things in his book when Iori comes home, providing that he is well enough. Tenn’s business has been pretty stable so he can spend most of the time with his twin brother. Even if the business was not going well, Tenn was more than ready to lose the profits or go bankrupt for the little time he had left with his brother. Otoharu and Iori's manager were also very considerate. They arranged a schedule so that Iori would still have much time to spend with Riku. The days that Riku can get out of bed now became a rare occasion. Half of the time, Iori would sit on a chair right by Riku's bedside, holding the older boy's hand and sang for him. He hoped the songs would at least ease a little bit of pain Riku felt every time he inhaled.

Normally, an idol from Takanashi Productions gets a song from a certain composer, but Iori wanted to write and sing his own debut song. He worked with the lyricist and another famous composer to come up with his ideal song. His practices were going very well. However, things were not always looking up. Two weeks before his debut, Riku’s condition deteriorated greatly. Riku was in a very exhausted state that both Tenn and Iori knew his time was up.

Riku was lying in bed with Iori and Tenn sitting on their chairs right by his side. His breathing was almost silent, because it was terribly shallow. His lungs were at their limit and were failing. It was only a matter of time before it stopped working completely. Iori and Tenn promised themselves to be calm during Riku’s final moments. They both wanted him to leave peacefully, without having to worry about anything.

“I..ori” The pale Riku called for his lover in a quiet voice. Iori was holding Riku’s hand the whole time. “Yes, Riku?”

“Looks..like I...won’t get to see you...debut”

It took everything in Iori for him to not cry. “Don’t worry, Riku I’m going to sing my debut song for you now. How does that sound?” Iori forced his best smile even though he felt like the whole world was crumbling around him. Iori patted Riku’s head gently. Then he began singing his song, a song that could not be written if he had not met Riku.

“It’s...beautiful” Riku smiled. Even in his final moment, Riku's smile never changed. It was as sweet as ever. “Thank you..Iori”

Iori kissed Riku’s forehead. “Rest well, Riku”

~~

Riku's heart stopped a short moment after their farewells. Iori buried his face in Riku's unmoving chest while shedding his tears. He would scream if his voice was not stolen from him by a crushing heartbreak. Only those tears ran down. Riku's body was still warm. No one needed to tell him he would never feel those warmth again. He would never see those gentle smiles that coloured his world every single day.

Tenn stepped out to the bathroom and locked himself in. He turned on the shower without planning to step in it. He just needed to cry the loudest he could and scream in endless agony. This was the time to let anger consume him without controlling it. They were born as twins. Riku was his half. So why must his life end so much earlier?

After a long while, Tenn left the bathroom in a near lifeless state and went to Iori, who were now sitting in the living room, holding a cup of warm spiced tea in his hand. He did not feel like drinking or eating or doing anything. He just needed a little something to help him cope with the nearly unbearable amount of grief. Tenn went to sit down right beside the younger boy.

"Are you okay, Tenn-san?" Iori asked with his cracked voice without looking at Tenn. 

"Of course not" Tenn replied quietly. The two sat silently, doing nothing and staring into nothingness. Until Tenn remembered something he promised Riku with. The boy walked to the small cabinet near the bedroom and opened it to get a light blue notebook with blueberry cheesecake figure charm. He then handed it to Iori. "It's from Riku..."

Iori took the book and handled it very carefully. It was that book Riku wrote on it everyday. He slowly opened it. The book was full of Riku's handwriting, describing the days, moments and memories he shared with Iori, Tenn and other people around him in great detail. Iori knew he would probably spend several days reading it and taking in all the emotions coming from Riku's words. He flipped to the last page to find the message written for him. 

_To Izumi Iori,_

_Thank you for writing such a beautiful song for me. You worked very hard on it right? Because of you, I had such a good life. Made lots of memories. I got to spend time with Tenn-nii and live a life with you as your husband._

_Even when I leave you behind, your life, your time is still moving. So please keep doing what you love, Iori._

_Iori, truly, thank you...._

_and goodbye._

_Love,_  

_Nanase Riku_

Iori thought his eyes had no more tears to shed. They were so swollen he could hardly see anything anymore. Iori closed the book and gently placed it on the table so he would not ruin it with his tears. Tenn also thought he was done crying as well. Both of them could not be more wrong. The two desperately needed some sort of comfort so they hugged each other and wept like there was no tomorrow.

~~

Cameras were flashing as the new idol stood before the press. Several eyes were on him as he announced his debut song.

“So I heard you wrote this song yourself, why did you choose this to be your debut song?” Interviewers asked him the most important question of the moment.

Iori smiled a little as he thought of Riku.

“This song, ONE dream, was written for my husband. He was the one who changed my life forever. I am here now because of him.”

_Riku, if there were such a thing as next life, I hope we meet again._

 

_~_ **END** _~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it ended. THANK YOU to all you lovely people for reading this. I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think by commenting <3 
> 
> If you want more IDOLiSH7 IoRiku fics I have some other works written. Please check them out if you'd like ^^
> 
> For now, Bye bye~  
> Kenar


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